


Like a Timebomb Ticking in Your Head

by decorationxx (Mitzsie)



Series: Still In Your Head [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Liam, Alpha Zayn, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Louis, Insecure Louis, Lies, Louis-centric, M/M, Manipulation, Multi, Omega Louis, Omega Niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6627670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mitzsie/pseuds/decorationxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis was sure that Harry would present as an alpha when the time came. Sure that they would be together one way or another. In fact, he was so sure that he staked his entire career on it.</p><p>Yeah, that was a mistake.</p><p>--<br/>Or, the one where Louis makes a deal with management. He can tell the world he's actually an omega under two conditions. (1) Harry presents as an alpha (done!), and (2) Harry wants him as a mate (oops).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like a Timebomb Ticking in Your Head

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for checking this out! This will actually be a two part story - please see the note at the end of this part for more information about that. Just a fair warning, I'm marking this part as complete since it is, but there will be some loose ends that won't be wrapped up until the next part.

Everyone else thought Harry would be an omega. From their fans, to their band mates, to their management—Louis was the only one who knew better.

Maybe it was the sheer amount of time they spent together, or maybe it was his inner omega recognizing Harry for what he was despite being loaded up on suppressants…There was just something about him. Louis wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but he _was_ sure that Harry wasn’t the clumsy omega-to-be everyone else thought.

It was more like he hadn’t grown into himself yet—his body was too small for the way his instincts were telling him to act, and so his mannerisms just looked awkward. Between that and his baby face, it was harder for people to take Harry seriously. Except for Louis. Harry had quickly become the most important person in his life, and even though they goofed around a lot, he _always_ knew when to take his younger friend seriously.

They understood each other better than anyone else ever could, even their band mates.

While Louis treated Harry like an alpha-to-be, Harry unknowingly indulged his own needs—omega needs that he was stuck hiding from everyone else. Not even Harry knew his true status, but that didn’t stop him from taking care of Louis or developing a protective streak. It was a bit strange for a beta to tolerate being looked after like that, but Harry never questioned him. That was just how they were with each other, period.

Needless to say, Louis was quite smug when Harry finally _did_ present as an alpha shortly after his 18th birthday. Two years of insisting everyone was wrong about Harry had finally paid off…But his enthusiasm was short lived.

“Harry!” Louis tried, waving an arm to flag down his band mate as he all but ran off stage.

And just like the previous night, he was ignored. There were a lot of people around still—fans, crew members…but Harry had definitely heard him. His senses were heightened now, and that was just the surface of all the things that had changed since Harry had presented.

Two years of praying he’d be right, only to realize he wished he’d been wrong.

“Are you okay?”

Louis jumped as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, surprised to see Liam looking down at him. “Yeah. It was a great show.”

“Not what I meant,” Liam replied, raising a knowing brow.

“I’m fine,” he responded, too aware that he couldn’t really say otherwise.

The thing was, a beta wouldn’t care as much—they wouldn’t be so affected by an alpha’s rejection. Just another reason to hate hiding what he was. His heart broke a little bit more every time Harry blew him off, and he couldn’t even go to his other friends for comfort. Not without risking someone catching onto his secret, and _that_ wouldn’t help anything…it’d just get him kicked out of the band for violating the terms of his contract.

“It’s a strange time for him,” his band mate continued, his stare hardening as Louis rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed to hear was the ‘Harry’s an alpha now’ lecture, but it looked like Liam wasn’t planning to back off this time. “I know you’ve been expecting this for a long time, but it’s all new to him still. He has a whole new set of instincts, and he’s trying to learn how to handle them.”

“Right. And his idea of learning is going out and getting laid every night,” Louis concluded, scoffing when Liam didn’t bother to respond. “Just go back to your mates, okay? Believe it or not, I have a life outside of Harry. I’m fine.”

The alpha’s eyes narrowed, stern as he stared down. “You’re not fine.”

“Yes, I am,” he insisted, letting out a sigh of relief as Niall called across the backstage area for Liam. For once though, Liam didn’t rush to his mate’s side immediately. “Your omega needs you.”

“Just because you’re not my omega doesn’t mean I’m not your alpha. Beta or not, you’re a part of this pack, Lou. How you feel matters to me.”

“I’m _fine,_ ” Louis repeated, so tired of saying it. “Stop treating me like an omega and _go._ ”

“Come hang out with us tonight,” Liam suggested, glancing over his shoulder at his mates. They were both clearly waiting for him, but he made no move to budge. “We haven’t hung out as a band in a while.”

Louis quirked a brow. It wasn’t exactly band time if Harry wasn’t included, and he knew damned well that the newly presented alpha would decline any invitation. That left him as the odd one out, infringing on the three mates’ time together. “I’ll pass.”

“Lou…”

“I’ve got plans already,” he said, deciding on them as he spoke. “Some of the crew’s hitting the town, and they invited me along. Maybe another time, yeah?”

Liam stared at him for a long minute before nodding. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Right,” Louis grumbled, having no doubt he would.

He scurried off before the alpha could get in another word, knowing he was on a tight schedule now.

It’d definitely get back to Liam if he didn’t go out, which meant he had to track down his buddies on the crew before they left. They really had invited him, but he’d turned them down, fully intending to mope in the solace of his own hotel room.

Life was so much easier when he stuck to his normal post-show routine—hanging out with Harry.

 

\---

 

In the privacy of his own mind, Louis had decided that maybe Liam was right. Maybe Harry was just adjusting. It wasn’t just new instincts he was fending with—he’d gone through a massive growth spurt leading up to his first rut, which was apparently quite painful. Between that and popping his first knot, the guy had every reason to be in a bad mood. Knots were _supposedly_ very enjoyable, but not the first few times.

It didn’t help that management hadn’t given him any time off outside from the actual rut. Their tour had been scheduled to begin shortly after, and there was ‘no rescheduling allowed’—that meant his entire transition was in the public eye, and his every move scrutinized.

Harry being an alpha was big news. Not just because it was such a surprise, but because Alpha Harry was apparently fascinating. He was taller now, his shoulders broader—charming in an obvious way rather than a goofy way.

And he had a new omega hanging off his arm every night. _That_ was the biggest news story, and one that was updated after every show. The public loved it—he was the last member of the band to present, and the first to make it clear he was available. He was taking the world by storm, really.

Louis was probably the only person who wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t that he didn’t support Harry’s exploration of his new status like the rest of the band…he just missed his best friend. Alpha Harry was like a whole new person, and not in all the ways Louis had hoped.

“Harry,” Louis tried, tugging the alpha’s shirt before he could step off their tour bus. It was a bit sad really—they saw each other every day, but had yet to have a real conversation since Harry presented. Surely the ‘adjustment’ period was nearly over though—they’d been on the road for over a month. “I need to talk to you.”

“Can it wait?” he asked immediately, not even meeting Louis’ eyes. “I need to get a drink while we’re stopped.”

“No, it can’t wait,” Louis answered—because, really, hadn’t he waited long enough already? Harry dodged him before and after shows, ‘slept’ the entire time they were on the bus, and outright ignored him when the other lads got them all in the same room. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“We’re together constantly,” the young alpha responded, raising both brows. “Hard to avoid someone you see every day.”

“You know what I mean. Ever since you presented, it’s like you don’t have any time for me anymore.”

“Just because we’re not together every hour of the day doesn’t mean I’m avoiding you.”

Louis opened his mouth, but was too stunned to form words. All he could manage was a hurt sound, one that made his cheeks red with embarrassment. Normally his suppressants took the edge off his moods and instincts, but Harry always had a way of making him lose control. Betas didn’t make noises like that.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Harry continued, his stare sharpening as Louis began to feel the full brunt of his defeat. “All this time you’ve been saying I’m an alpha. You should be happy.”

“ _Happy?_ I should be happy that I haven’t had a real conversation with my best friend in over a month? You think that’s what I wanted?”

“We’re still talking every day.”

“Group huddles don’t count as a conversation, Harry.”

“Lou…” Harry shook his head, clearly frustrated. “What do you want from me?”

“I can’t believe you even have to ask me that.”

Harry finally looked at him— _really_ looked—and for the first time since everything had changed, it felt like maybe he wasn’t the only one struggling with all this. The turmoil behind the alpha’s eyes was obvious despite his neutral expression.

“We were fooling ourselves, Lou,” he said, his words softening. “We were never gonna happen. I see you now, and…I wish things were different, but they’re not.”

Louis could feel the lump in his throat growing painful. “Would it be different if I were an omega?”

Harry stared at him for a long moment before answering, “No.”

“You’re sure? Because if me being a beta is the problem, it doesn’t have to be.”

“It’s not about status, it’s about you and me. I don’t love you the way you love me.”

He gulped at that, but thankfully managed to hold back any visible reaction. Tears could wait. “Who says I love you?”

“You don’t have to say it.”

And, wow. Louis had fallen hard and fast for Harry, but his younger friend had never shown any indication he was aware of that fact. If anything, Harry seemed to feel the same. That was another reason the new gap between them had been such a shock. He’d been sure their relationship would move to the next level after Harry presented—so sure that he’d staked his entire career on it.

Had he really misread all the signals?

The casual looks and constant touches. The private smiles and unsolicited laughs. The two of them absolutely shared a unique bond, to the point where even their band mates raised a questioning brow at their interactions. He’d gotten more than a few _be careful, betas should be with betas_ lectures, with the added bonus of management demanding they _tone it down_ during public appearances.

Usually he and Harry laughed it all off the same way they laughed off the fan rumors about their _taboo omega/beta relationship_ (back when everyone assumed Harry would be an omega, of course) _._ It was one of the things he’d grown to love about Harry. Everything was so easy between them—so natural. No one else’s opinions mattered.

Or they hadn’t, until now.

“So, that’s it then? I love you, and you don’t love me, so we can’t talk? We can’t spend time together without the band around to act as a buffer?”

“We’re still friends. Nothing’s gonna change that, Lou.”

“It already has!”

“No, it hasn’t. You have no idea what I’d do for you—what I’m _already_ going through for you!”

Louis’ frown deepened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This is hard on me too! Do you think you’re the only one who misses having a friend right now? I don’t like staying away any more than you do, but you need time to get over this. It’s not happening, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner things can be normal between us.”

“Well, this conversation’s certainly helping,” he grumbled, words laced with sarcasm. Harry had _never_ spoken to him like this before—discarded his feelings so easily, like they were an inconvenience.

“You don’t need to do that anymore either.”

“Do _what?_ ” he asked, throwing his hands up in defeat.

“Act so dramatic. Everyone knows I’m an alpha now, Lou. I don’t need you to play omega anymore. It really shouldn’t be hard for us to get past this—there’s a reason alphas and betas don’t mix.”

“Is that what you think I’ve been doing? _Playing_ omega?” Louis asked, aghast when Harry gave a pointed nod. “I had you figured out on day one, and you _still_ haven’t figured me out.”

“Lou—”

“No, you know what? Forget it. I get it now—you’re right, this whole thing really has been one sided,” he realized, averting his gaze before the tears could swell in his eyes. “Go get your drink. I’ll see you at the show.”

He pushed past the alpha, flopping into his bunk without another word. The old Harry would’ve followed him, refusing to leave his side until there was a smile on his face…

Alpha Harry walked off the bus, letting the door slam with a loud thud.

 

\---

 

Another two months rolled by, and things only got worse.

It started off innocently enough. Things remained tense between Louis and Harry, but nothing really changed—Harry just kept on avoiding him outside of shows and interviews. They were still able to put on a good performance for the fans at least.

And then their stage placement was redone. For some mysterious reason, it had been decided that Harry and Louis couldn’t cover the same side of the stage anymore. Harry, of course, was perfectly okay with that. Just like he was okay with sitting on the other side of Zayn, Niall, and Liam instead of by Louis’ side during interviews. It was like he was willing to jump on any excuse to be as far away as humanly possible. Management had been hounding them about that for years anyway—that was how they were _supposed_ to sit. Before, it was because the two were too playful with one another, but now…

Well, Harry needed to be seen as an adult—a newly presented alpha, exploring his identity. Sitting near Louis detracted from that…probably because all the old speculation about their ‘relationship’. Now there were new rumors about a rift between them, but those didn’t seem to bother management as much. Probably because it was accurate. Things _weren’t_ good between, and it added fuel to Harry’s new ‘image’.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, Louis had his own new image to contend with as well. With their final band member presented, the band as a whole was transitioning—they no longer needed to be seen as innocent young lads. So while Harry was embracing his alpha status, Louis was ‘looking for something stable’ like the good beta he was supposed to be. Apparently he’d been dating around for years, and was ready for _the one_ —or so the new management approved narrative said.

“No,” he disagreed, shaking his head as he flipped through a packet of potential betas. It had been waiting in his hotel room, and he’d immediately pulled out his phone to call management about it. “I’m not going to be in a fake relationship with any of these people.”

“Letting you choose is a courtesy,” was the response he got, which made him scoff.

He hated when they did that—tried to make it seem like they were actually doing him some kind of favor. It was the same when he’d first joined the band. _It’d be easy to replace you. We don’t need another omega,_ they’d explained.

Two alphas, two omegas, one beta…that was the magic formula to appeal to the widest audience. Niall and Harry’s places were already secured, and Harry was expected to be the second omega. That was why he’d been given the beta option. All because his heat had been due the day of his audition—he’d applied to the competition as an omega, but taken suppressants out of necessity. It was never supposed to be a regular thing.

Somehow they’d made it sound like they were the ones taking all the risk by giving him the option to live as a suppressed omega. There were dozens of actual betas who they could select instead, but for whatever reason, they liked him enough to give him the option first. He wasn’t the strongest singer, but they wanted someone with his personality in the band…whatever that meant. It had been both insulting and flattering all once.

Then they’d reminded him how the opportunity could change everything for his family. That was the final push he needed to sign the papers…all within ten minutes. That was all it took for his right to be himself to be stripped away, and he _still_ hadn’t gotten it back.

“Can’t I try meeting someone myself?” Louis suggested, already knowing the answer

“You’ll never find a beta you’re serious about. Plus, we already have one band member dating around.” As if he needed that reminder. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”

“It’d be better if you just let me come out as an omega,” he countered with a sigh. Their magic formula had been destroyed when Harry presented—surely that changed things. “We’re famous enough now, it shouldn’t matter.”

“It matters. Harry being an alpha doesn’t change the band’s need for a beta. You agreed to this, Louis.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be for this long.”

“You had the opportunity to come out—it was in your contract.”

Louis grimaced at the reminder…He’d fought tooth and nail when it was time to renegotiate his contract after their first tour, and he’d _won._ A clause had been added specifically catering toward him coming out if Harry presented as an alpha. That was back when management was sure it would never happen—they’d basically been humoring him by adding the clause, specifying that he could reveal himself as an omega in the event that Harry not only presented as an alpha, but expressed an interest in mating with Louis.

As it turned out, management had still managed to come out on top. Harry obviously didn’t want him, and that left him back at square one—unable to be the omega he wanted to be, and unable to do a thing about it. At least before he had something to look forward to. He’d been so sure it would all work out for the best. What did he have to look forward to now? A fake relationship with some beta he’d never met? That just wouldn’t do. It was hard enough knowing he’d never have Harry.

He needed _something._

“We’re up for renegotiation at the end of the year,” Louis realized slowly. “If I agree to this now, I want the option to come out added to the new contract—something guaranteed. I’m sick of this.”

The man on the other end of the line sighed. “We’ll consider it. We might be due for a new stunt by then anyway.”

Louis rolled his eyes at that, but he knew better than to comment. It was time to pick his battles. “I want it in writing. I’ll choose someone and play along once I have it.”

“You’re not in a position to make demands about this.”

 _We’ll have you removed from the band._ The threat went unsaid, but he knew that was exactly what would happen if he outright refused. That was a part of his contract too. If he told anyone his secret, he was out and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Maybe I’m not,” he conceded, shaking his head, “but this can go one of two ways. You can put me in a fake relationship and I’ll look miserable during every outing, or you can put me in one and I’ll try to look happy. Give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want.”

There was a long pause before he finally got his answer, “Fine. I’ll have something drawn up tomorrow. Choose someone by then.”

The line disconnected before he could acknowledge that, and he found himself grinning. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was better than nothing. He couldn’t go on like this much longer. All his hopes and desires had been pinned on Harry for so long now, he _needed_ something else to fill the void. And actually, fake dating might not be so bad...Maybe he’d end up being friends with whoever it was.

He flipped through his options again, frowning when he noted they were all female. It was bad enough he had to pretend to be a beta—they could _at least_ respect his sexuality. Not that he would ever seriously be interested in whoever it was anyway.

 _Eleanor Calder._ He picked the name from a random page, thinking she looked nice at least. There was a small profile provided, but he didn’t bother reading it—surely it was filled with pointless factoids that he’d discover for himself if he really ended up being in a ‘relationship’ with her.

“Lou?” Zayn’s distinct voice called to him, snapping him from his thoughts as there was a knock on the door. Not the first knock, judging by his friend’s concerned tone.

“Sorry,” Louis said, opening the door with a forced smile. “Was in the bathroom.”

Zayn looked skeptical, but didn’t call him out on the lie. “It’s fine. Are you coming?”

“Coming?” he repeated, quirking a brow.

“Don’t tell me you forgot.”

He blinked before it hit him. “Oh, shit. Movie night?”

Zayn hummed in response, inviting himself into Louis’ room before Louis could get in another word. “Niall sent me to make sure you weren’t planning to bail on us again.”

He snorted. “Guess I deserve that.”

Normally the band got together at least one or two nights a week after shows, but he hadn’t felt up to much of anything since…well, since his world had fallen apart. At first it was just Liam doing the alpha thing, trying to get him to stop moping so much. Zayn had quickly become just as worried, and Niall seemed to just legitimately miss having him around.

It probably wasn’t fair, pulling back from them the way he had just because things hadn’t worked out with Harry. But the thing was, it was _so hard_ to find the energy to fake happiness around them. So hard to pretend that Harry’s absence from the ‘group get togethers’ wasn’t digging away at him. He could only put on a smile for so long each day, and he decided from the start of the tour that it would be while he was on stage. The fans deserved a good show, and it was his job to give it to them.

Coming up with excuses to get out of the get togethers was just easier.

“What’s going on with you? Seriously.”

Louis folded his arms across his chest defensively. “Nothing.”

“We’re not blind, Lou, and Harry’s not your only friend. You can talk to me,” Zayn told him, gesturing for Louis to follow him toward the room’s balcony. He did so willingly, accepting the cigarette the alpha offered once they were leaning against the railing. “There was a time when you and me were close, you know.”

“I remember,” Louis assured him, smiling genuinely this time.

Harry had always been particularly special to him, but before Zayn bonded with Niall, they’d been pretty close too. They shared a lot of moments like this—calm conversations, cigarette in hand. He wasn’t much of a smoker, but it was part of their thing.

They’d been in a hotel just like this one when he’d first encouraged Zayn to go for it with Niall—when he’d insisted Liam was the kind of alpha Zayn could be happy with. After that, Zayn had taken his advice. He’d started courting Niall with Liam’s approval, and the three of them became inseparable. There were times when he was a little put off by the outcome, like he’d been forgotten by a good friend…but he wasn’t so selfish. Zayn deserved his mates, and Louis had his own happiness with Harry.

Or he did anyway.

“I never meant to pull away from you,” Zayn said quietly, glancing over at him like he’d read the thought right from Louis’ mind.

“You didn’t. Just because I’m a beta doesn’t mean I don’t understand—you’re bonded now. Plus, it’s not like you ditched me. We see each other constantly.”

“Yeah, but that’s all work stuff. We can still hang out, just you and me. Not tonight because Ni might kill me if I don’t bring you back, but in general. Tomorrow maybe.”

Louis’ smile grew, but he tried to hide it before a long drag. “He’s that excited about a movie, huh?”

“He’s that excited about spending time with _you._ It’s been weeks, and apparently you’re his favorite person,” Zayn explained, chuckling softly.

“Can’t say I blame him. He’s mine too,” Louis said, perking right up—Niall had that affect even when he wasn’t physically there to see. There was just something bright and happy about him that carried over even when he was just being mentioned. He was exactly the kind of omega Louis wished he could be. “Think he can wait long enough for me to shower?”

“He might show up at the door if I don’t bring you back soon.”

Louis snorted, believing every word. “I better get in now then.”

“You’re not gonna tell me what’s up first?” Zayn asked as they put their cigarettes out.

He just shrugged. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Lou…we always come to you with our problems,” the alpha reminded him, a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Whenever Niall needs to vent to someone who’s not an alpha, he has you. When I didn’t know how to get what I wanted, you pointed me in the right direction. When Liam's too much of an alpha for his own good, you’re the one who makes him realize he needs to cool off.”

Louis laughed at the last one. It was definitely true. They were a pack in their own way, which meant they looked out for one another regardless of the fact they weren’t all in the same relationship. Liam often became the go-to alpha when it came to group problems or decisions. Sometimes he took it too far though, and if the other two alphas called him out, they’d only end up butting heads. Niall didn’t stand much of a chance at interjecting before he ended up submitting, but _Louis…_ well, he had a lot of practice at this beta thing now. He knew how to act cool and unaffected by the alphas in his band, and because he wasn’t an alpha himself, his comments didn’t come across as a challenge.

Having a beta in the group kept them rounded, or so they’d all told him time and time again. If only they knew the truth.

“I know Harry’s usually your go to, but you can come to any of us,” Zayn concluded softly.

“I could go for a hug,” he admitted, face red as Zayn pulled him right into his arms.

He fought his urge to nuzzle in, making it a point not to bury his nose into the alpha’s neck the way he desperately wanted either. Betas weren’t supposed to do things like that—they didn’t crave as much physical affection as omegas. Normally he resisted anything beyond a pat on the back or an arm over his shoulder from anyone other than Harry, but it had been a rough few months. It wasn’t so odd for a beta to want a hug during a rough patch.

“Are you okay at least?” Zayn whispered, holding him closer as he nodded into the alpha’s chest. “Talk to me when you’re ready.”

It was a very _alpha_ request, and Louis knew that meant it wasn’t optional. That was one of the draw backs of being in a pack. Beta or not, he was still expected to answer to the alphas even if he wasn’t expected to fully submit to them. They were generally lenient with him, only cracking down when there was a safety concern or something serious.

Without Harry constantly by his side, it was only a matter of time before Liam came and demanded answers. Opening up to Zayn on his own terms was definitely the better option, especially on this subject. Liam was the one constantly warning him not to fall for Harry, and he wasn’t sure he could handle explaining how he accidentally had done just that…or how it had all blown up in his face just like Liam said it would.

“Give me a few more days,” he said, stepping out of the hug.

Zayn nodded in easy agreement. “I’ll give you until the weekend.”

Three days then. Louis could deal with that if he had to—at least that gave him time to mentally prepare himself for another inevitable break down. “I’m gonna shower. We can just watch the movie here if Niall shows up before I’m done.”

“Sounds good,” Zayn agreed with a grin, settling onto his bed as Louis made his way to the bathroom.

He’d barely turned the water on when there was a series of loud knocks on the hotel room door, which was a clear sign he’d already taken too long.

 

\---

 

When Louis had asked for a deal in writing, he hadn’t been expecting more than a single piece of paper. Instead he had another packet delivered to his dressing room at some point during their show, and it was overwhelming to look through. There were so many stipulations that he wasn’t even sure there was a coming out option included at all…

He had to fulfill a countless number of terms and conditions during his fake relationship (some reasonable, like appearing with a smile on his face; others less than reasonable, like unnecessary amounts of PDA), and that was for at least a one year period. One slip up, and the agreement was void.

And even if he did everything perfectly, he still wasn’t guaranteed the opportunity to come out.

It all depended on ‘the band’s needs’ once the year had elapsed. Basically, if they were in the middle of some other stunt or scandal at the time, he wouldn’t be allowed to reveal himself. If they were in a lull, he’d be put in _another_ fake relationship—one with an alpha. That would spark a whole new controversy, and when the public was bored scrutinizing him for being in a ‘taboo relationship’, he’d be allowed to reveal himself as an omega. Preferably when they needed promotion for some tour or album.

If all went according to plan, they’d spin it in a positive way. Instead of him lying because he was _ashamed_ (which was the furthest thing from the truth), they’d claim he was lying because he was _afraid._ The details of that were to be decided when the time came, but Louis already had a bad feeling about it.

“It’s not right,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

All he wanted was to be free from all the lies, not to get stuck in more.

There were only a few reasons an omega would be afraid to reveal their status—usually because their families were omega-shamers. His mum didn’t even _know_ he was an omega though. It wouldn’t be fair to pin it on her. Not when he was sure she would 100% support him regardless.

He’d moved out before presenting, knowing she needed the space in the house for his sisters. Then he hadn’t wanted to worry her with his status when he found out—it wasn’t considered wise for omegas to live alone. She would’ve insisted he move back home if she knew, and that didn’t seem fair to the girls. Luckily things had worked out on the X-Factor before it had gotten to that point, and then his contract had removed his right to tell her anyway.

He tried to tell himself it was for the best—that his mum would understand because he had ultimately agreed to the lies so that he’d be able to help support her. But he _still_ felt guilty every time they spoke. She was so proud of her ‘beta’ son.

“Are you okay, Lou?”

His eyes snapped up, surprised to find Niall standing in his dressing room doorway. “No,” he admitted. It felt good to say it after insisting he was fine for so long. “Can I talk to you about something? Privately?”

Niall looked a little taken aback, but he nodded right away. “Let me just tell Li and Zayn we’ll be a few, okay?”

“Okay.”

The omega disappeared from his dressing room before coming back with a soft smile on his face, closing the door behind him. “So, what’s up?”

“Everything’s so messed up right now, and I don’t know what to do anymore,” Louis started, not really sure where to begin explaining himself, or how much he could even say.

“You mean with Harry?”

“Yeah, but that’s not the only thing.” He lifted the papers up before tossing them back down in frustration. “Management wants me to start seeing someone. I’m supposed to pick a girlfriend tonight, and meet her during our tour break."

“ _What?”_

“You’re so lucky you have Zayn and Liam—that everyone knows about you three.”

“Can they even do that?”

“They can, and they are. It’s in my contract. I’m obligated to do a certain amount of publicity each year, and this counts toward that,” he explained with a sigh. It wasn’t the first stunt he’d been pushed into either—just the most frustrating. “I always saw myself with Harry, you know? It’s bad enough that he doesn’t want me…but now he won’t even talk to me, and I’ve got all this to deal with. I miss having a friend to go to about things like this.”

“You can talk to me,” Niall promised, settling onto the small couch in the room before patting the empty spot beside him. Louis obliged right away, allowing himself to just give in for a change. He was so tired of constantly fighting himself. At least with Niall he could play it off like it wasn’t strictly for his benefit. Louis’ frustrated words had clearly putting the omega in a sad mood, which meant he needed the affection just as much. “I don’t really get it. The whole Harry thing.”

“What’s there to get? He’s an alpha now. He’s got better things to do than spend time with me.”

“He’s loved you forever now,” Niall argued, cuddling up against Louis’ side. “There’s no point in him being with other people.”

“Harry doesn’t love me. I don’t even think he _likes_ me anymore,” Louis admitted quietly. “It’s like we were never friends at all.”

“That’s not true. He’s just lying to himself because alphas and betas don’t normally work. But you two are different! Harry’s not one of those ego-alphas, and you’re not one of those closed off betas. You could make it work.”

He stiffened at Niall’s words. Wasn’t a closed off beta? He’d been under the impression that he was doing a good job acting independent. “It’s not about status,” Louis muttered, pushing his doubts aside. He’d been posing as a beta for a long time now—this wasn’t the time to question how well he played the role. Part of him didn’t have the energy to care if he was caught at this point. “I wish it was because that’d be an easy problem to solve, but it’s not. I asked him.”

“He’s an alpha. He’s trying to protect you, even if it means making you hate him.”

“Well he’s doing a shitty job then. I don’t hate him—I can’t. He won’t even look at me or talk to me, and I’d still do anything for him,” Louis ranted with a ragged sigh. “Maybe I was just holding him back. You all had each other, so he stuck with me. Now he’s just doing what he’s always wanted.”

“You can’t really believe that, Lou.”

“Why not? We’d still be friends otherwise—he wouldn’t have cut me out like this.”

“You should corner him and get some answers,” Niall suggested, squeezing the fake-beta closer.

“He’s the alpha, Ni. It’s not like I can make him talk to me.”

“We’ve tried talking to him too, you know. He’s been so weird lately—even Liam can’t get answers out of him. If anyone can make him talk, it’s you.”

“Not anymore.” He shook his head, remembering the last time he’d tried. He’d been ready to tell Harry he was over it just so they could be friends, but the alpha had blown him off _again._ “I miss him.”

“Tell him that,” Niall suggested, rubbing his arm gently.

“That’ll only make things worse.” Louis paused for a moment, at a loss for how to proceed.

It was too much, missing Harry on top of everything else. At least when Harry was around, he always knew what to say and what to do to help Louis—even without all the information. He would’ve known exactly how to handle this fake relationship issue, no questions asked. That was just how Harry was.

Louis adored Niall, but no one knew him better than the band's most infuriating alpha. No one else could help him without knowing a little more about what was happening. And he _really_ needed some help right now.

Maybe it was a sign, Niall being here when he was nearing his breaking point.

“Were you ever on suppressants?” he asked before he could think twice.

“Only to get out of a couple poorly timed heats. Why?” the omega asked, glancing up curiously.

“I need to tell you something,” Louis decided, heart racing anxiously. He kept his words hushed, sure Niall’s alphas weren’t too far away from the dressing room. “A secret. Not even Zayn or Liam can find out.”

Niall blinked, the hesitation in his eyes obvious. “I’m not supposed to keep secrets from them.”

“I’ll tell them when I’m ready, I just…I think I need to tell you first. They’re alphas—they’ll just flip out. You’re the only one who’d really understand.”

“Okay. I won’t tell them.”

Louis was relieved to hear it, though he couldn’t bring himself to smile. Instead he inhaled a long breath, letting it out with his confession, “I’m an omega.”

“Wait, what? _”_ Niall sat straight up, eyes wide as he looked at Louis like he’d misheard. Then he kept looking— _really_ looking as the words began to sink in. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I was due for heat the day of my audition,” Louis revealed. “I took suppressants so it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“But…why? Why stay on them?”

“They wanted me in the band, but they needed a beta. No one but the producers knew—they pulled me aside and told me to keep it to myself before I told anyone,” he explained, the words flowing freely. It was like a bit of weight was falling off his shoulders with each one. “I never wanted to hide, but I needed this to work. The band was my chance.”

“You could’ve told us. You could’ve told _me!_ We would’ve helped you.”

“Don’t you think I wanted to?” Louis said, the hurt in Niall’s eyes seeping into him. “They said they’d kick me out. Replace me. It’s all in my contract—one word and I’m gone. Even now. That’s why you can’t tell anyone.”

That just made Niall tense up, holding onto Louis like he wouldn’t let anyone take him anywhere. “They can’t do that. Not now—the fans love you!”

“It’s not up to the fans,” Louis responded sadly. “It’s not up to any of us, don’t you get that? This isn’t really our band. We belong to them.”

“So, what? You’re going to take suppressants for the rest of your life? That’s dangerous, Lou! They’re not meant for long term use!”

“No, of course not. I just…I was supposed to be with Harry, okay? I had a deal with management where I could come out if he was an alpha and wanted to be with me. But he doesn’t. This fake dating thing is supposed to be my next chance—if I play along, they said I might be able to come clean next year.”

“Next _year?”_

“I know. I thought it’d just be a few months, but I got this paperwork today and it’s just so much more complicated than I thought it’d be…I don’t know what to do anymore. It was easier when Harry was around. At least it felt like things would be okay, but now…Nothing’s okay now. I can’t keep doing this.”

Niall was visibly disturbed by his words, shaking his head as he began to make incoherent sounds of protest. That wasn’t good. Louis attempted to soothe his fellow omega, but the door to the dressing room was slung open before he could succeed.

“What happened?” Liam asked, openly concerned when his omega wouldn’t allow Zayn to pull him away from Louis.

“Nothing,” Niall choked out, the word breaking Louis’ heart.

 _Shit._ He should’ve known better than to ask an omega to lie to his alphas. How selfish was he? Just because he was having a hard time didn’t mean he had the right to burden his only omega friend. It only made things worse for Niall, who was now hiding his face in Louis’ chest like he couldn’t face his alphas at all.

They turned their gazes to Louis, clearly not believing that _nothing_ had happened.

“Louis,” Liam said, demanding his full attention. “What’s going on here?”

“Don’t!” Niall exclaimed, unsuccessfully trying to climb out of Zayn’s lap and back into Louis’ the moment his alpha had him. “Leave him alone, it’s not his fault! None of this is his fault!”

“Someone tell me what happened,” Liam demanded, his alpha voice booming so powerfully that Louis flinched.

Being on suppressants took the edge off for him, but Niall…the poor omega had clearly never ignored an alpha command before. Louis watched in horror as he began shaking in Zayn’s lap, on the brink of a full out panic attack. Before he could though, Zayn was stroking him on the back of his neck, lulling him down into omega space.

And just like that, he was peaceful again, slumped against Zayn. Neither of his alphas were so serene.

“I didn’t do anything to him,” Louis tried, raising both hands defensively. “I just needed someone to talk to, and he offered.”

“What could you possibly have to say that would upset him so much?” Liam pressed, arms folded across his chest.

“Everything, okay? Things have been shitty for me lately.”

“You need to be more specific. We need to know what set him off before he comes back up.”

He looked at Niall anxiously. “He’ll be fine when he comes up, right?”

“Yes, but we still need to know what happened.”

 _“E_ _verything_ happened, okay? You already know!”

“This is about Harry?” Liam scoffed, shaking his head. “We already know what’s going on between you, and as much as he doesn’t like it, he wouldn’t get this upset about it.”

“It’s more than that. They want me to date, okay? I’m supposed to pick out a girlfriend, and I don’t want to, but it’s in my contract.” Louis jumped to his feet, snatching the paperwork before Liam could look it over. “Don’t.”

“If there’s something in your contract that you don’t like, you need to come to me,” the alpha insisted firmly. “I can go to management about it. Niall can’t.”

“I wanted to go to _Harry,_ but he’s not here. He’s never here anymore. Niall offered to listen, and I just…I’m sorry. I haven’t been thinking clearly. I didn’t mean to upset him—I’d never do that to him on purpose.”

Liam’s expression softened at that. “It’s okay. Niall will be fine—Zayn’s got him.”

Louis glanced over at the omega, smiling a bit as he realized Zayn really did have it all under control. Not only was Niall down still, but Zayn was rubbing his back and whispering calm words right into his ear. It was almost an intimate moment, and he found himself looking away to give them privacy.

“I’m glad he’s okay,” Louis mumbled, letting out a quiet sigh.

“Do you need me to look that over?” Liam offered, gesturing toward the paperwork in Louis’ hands.

“No, not this. It’s not my contract, it’s…something else.”

“There’s more,” Liam realized, brows furrowed. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t want to get into it again right now.”

“If there’s something else going on that affects Niall, I have a right to know.”

Louis shook his head stubbornly. “It doesn’t. Not really.”

“But you told him. If you told him, it affects him.”

“Not tonight, Li,” he said, looking away from the harsh stare his words earned.

“Fine. You’re off the bus, and you won’t speak to Niall until you tell me,” Liam decided, unfazed by the noise of protest Louis made. _Off the bus?_ They were a pack! Granted, Niall would always be Zayn and Liam’s first priority, but still. It wasn’t fair. “Are you sure you don’t want to say it now?”

“I can’t,” Louis grumbled. “I wasn’t even supposed to tell Niall.”

Liam wasn’t impressed by that answer, glowering at him. “Get out of here, and get your stuff to one of the crew buses before we get back.”

He opened his mouth to object, but promptly stopped himself. It obviously wasn’t open for debate, and part of him felt like he deserved the cold treatment anyway.

 

\---

 

Alphas knew how to hold a grudge, that was for sure.

It wasn’t that Liam was actively angry with Louis after that first night, but he’d stuck to his word even as the weeks rolled by. Louis hadn’t been permitted back onto the band’s tour bus, and hadn’t been able to say a word to Niall outside of shows and appearances.

 _“We need to be supporting him right now, not shunning him,”_ Niall had insisted over and over again, but neither of his alphas were willing to listen. Not when Louis had been so ‘careless’ with Niall’s emotional wellbeing. The omega had even appealed to Harry, _“You need to help him!”_

All that had gotten Louis was an increased number of concerned looks from the alpha who was the source of so many of his problems. Somehow that only made him feel worse about the whole situation.

It was pointless anyway—none of the alphas could help him. They’d just freak out and get him in trouble for spilling. The contract had been signed a long time ago, and the terms weren’t up for debate. Not yet. The best he could do was play along with management’s plan for now, and if things got too bad…

Well, he was beginning to think getting kicked out of the band wouldn’t be the worst thing anyway. It was almost like it had already happened—sleeping on the crew bus and being ignored by his pack. Every day it weighed on him more and more, and he was at a complete loss about what to do.

“What’re you doing here, Lou?”

 _Shit._ He’d resorted to sneaking onto the band’s bus on nights they were in hotels, soaking in the familiarity of it while he could. He should’ve known he be caught eventually. And it had to be the night he’d curled up in Harry’s bunk of all places.

At least it was just Zayn. Liam would’ve been angry, and Harry? That would’ve been mortifying.

“What’re _you_ doing here?” Louis countered, well aware it was an awful response. Zayn just arched a brow, unamused. “C’mon, Z. Can’t you just pretend you didn’t see me?”

“If you tell me what you’re doing, maybe.”

Louis sat up as best he could in the small space, pulling his knees to his chest as Zayn climbed in next to him and closed the little curtain again. “It’s not as weird as it seems,” he said, slowly coming up with his response. No matter how he said it, it all sounded very _omega._ “I just miss being here.”

“In Harry’s bunk?”

“Well, yeah. But I meant in general—with the pack. I figured you’d all be in your hotel rooms anyway.”

“Niall left his pillow. You know how he is—can’t sleep with the hotel ones.”

Louis nodded, smiling fondly at the mention of his favorite omega. “Do you think I can see him sometime?”

Zayn let out a short sigh. “You know I can’t let you. Not until you clear things up with Liam.”

“Do you honestly believe I’m a danger to your omega?” Louis asked, almost fearing the answer.

Thankfully it was an immediate, “No.”

“What the hell? Let me see him then!”

“It’s not about you being a danger, it’s about whatever you told him—we can’t let him get that worked up again, especially when we’re not in the room.”

“I don’t want that to happen again either. And it won’t.” Surely the shock was out of Niall’s system by now. If they spoke again, he might be able to get some actual advice out of his friend. He sure as hell hadn’t come up with a solution of his own.

“You can’t guarantee that. Whatever’s going on with you, you can’t unload it on him—if it upsets you, it _really_ upsets him. You know that,” Zayn said firmly. “I get that things haven’t been easy lately, but c’mon, Lou. I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”

“It’s not that easy,” Louis tried to explain, only to get an unimpressed look in return. “You remember what you said about how sometimes Niall comes to me when he needs to vent to someone who’s not an alpha?”

Zayn frowned, but nodded. “Yeah.”

“It’s kind of like that. There are certain things I can’t say to you—things I never even told Harry.”

“This has been going on that long?” Zayn asked slowly.

“For as long as you’ve known me,” Louis answered, keeping it as vague as possible. “When I had Harry, I didn’t _need_ to talk about it. But lately…Fuck, Zayn. I don’t have anyone, and you guys shutting me out is just making everything so much _worse.”_

“I thought you were starting to enjoy yourself. You’ve been out with the crew almost every night.”

He scoffed. “Yeah. Getting wasted so I don’t have to think about how shitty my life is—not exactly my idea of a good time, Z.”

The alpha grimaced at that. “Is it that bad?”

“I mean, I get on with them just fine—they’re not my pack though. Been sleeping here almost every chance I get.”

“What if I come see you on hotel nights?” Zayn offered, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Li’s not gonna change his mind about all this, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out.”

“No offense, Z, but you said that before—that we could hang out. I’m not holding my breath this time.”

Zayn, to his credit, looked adorably confused. “What?”

“The day before all this shit hit the fan with Niall. You told me we’d talk that weekend, and that we could hang out more,” Louis reminded him, smirking triumphantly as he watched the realization washing over Zayn’s face. “Never happened, and not due to lack of effort on my part.”

Because he really had tried to talk to Zayn. He’d tried to talk to Liam as well, but not no avail. It always circled back to ‘we can talk if you tell me what I want to hear first’—and that just wasn’t going to happen.

“I thought it was the same thing—whatever you told Niall. I figured that was what you were down about, and that you wouldn’t tell me even if I showed up and hounded you,” Zayn explained, a hint of regret in his words. “Was it not?”

“Just because I can’t talk to you about everything doesn’t mean I can’t talk to you about _anything._ And it doesn’t have to be just me, you know—I used to be pretty good at listening back when you guys talked to me still. I miss you guys.”

“Things are good with us, Lou. Really good. The only thing not going well is whatever’s happening with you. We wanna help, but you never let us.”

“What about Harry?” Louis asked, sure that his tone wasn’t quite as neutral as he intended. “Niall said he was being weird with you guys.”

“He’s come around a lot lately—I think he’s finally settled into himself as an alpha. We’ve spent a lot of time with him, actually.”

Of course that would happen. The minute Louis was being shunned, Harry would start spending time with their band mates again. It couldn’t be a coincidence. “What an ass.”

“Huh?”

“He’s an ass! If you guys let me hang around, he’d be off again. What the hell is so wrong with me that he has to jump through loops to avoid me?”

“I don’t think that’s why he’s been around more, Lou.”

Louis just scoffed. They’d all been on his side—sure, they supported Harry and the changes he was going through, but they undoubtedly felt bad about how Louis was being treated through those changes. Now that everyone was mad at him though, no one would care enough to bother Harry about it—to call him out or question him on the bullshit. Except for Niall maybe, but his alphas had probably told him to stop pestering Harry about it by now.

It was the perfect opportunity for him to slide back into their day to day like nothing was wrong or missing at all. Like Louis had just been an inconvenience, again.

“He has all new clothes,” Louis muttered, glancing over over at Zayn. Harry always understood what he meant when he said things out of the blue like this.

There wasn't much of a reaction from Zayn. “Well, yeah. He’s huge now.”

“I know, it makes sense. It’s just…I barely recognize him, you know? He started dodging me right after it all happened, and I never even got a good look at him. I see more of his face on the tabloids than I do in person,” he explained, letting out a soft sigh. “And with the clothes, I don’t even know it’s him sometimes. I mean, they look great, but it’s just…who even is he? I don’t know anymore. Every time I see him, I want to do a double take. But I can’t. He glares at me when I do.”

“He’s really not as different as you think.”

Louis shook his head dismally. He knew what Zayn meant—about the clothes at least. They were different, but they didn’t make _Harry_ different. If anything, they were a better reflection of Harry as a person. His tops were more colorful, with less buttons…and they suited him perfectly. It was the kind of thing he’d always wanted to wear, but couldn’t due to the specifics in his contract. The contract that had become void when he presented as an alpha. Obviously he’d put his foot down now that people were taking him seriously, and it definitely showed.

More than anything, Louis wanted to be happy about that. Happy that Harry was finally getting to look and act how he wanted. That he was finally comfortable in his own skin. He wanted to look him up and down and appreciate every inch of Alpha Harry—catalogue every change, from the obvious to the subtle.

But it was all tainted. He was barely allowed more than a quick glance at Harry before the alpha was shooting him a warning glance or running out the door, and he just couldn’t bring himself to be happy about any of it—even if that made him incredibly selfish.

“This Harry won’t look at me. He won’t talk to me for even a minute. This stupid bunk,” he said, gesturing around, “it’s all I have left. It’s the only thing that hasn’t changed.”

Which was sad, given that the bunk was a very generic space with no personality at all. But it wasn’t the décor that mattered. It was all the memories that filled the space with an inexplicable warmth.

How many nights had he and Harry laid there together, cuddling as they talked for hours about absolutely everything?

“He’ll come to you,” Zayn said with a quiet insistence. “He’s just not ready yet. It’s harder for alphas to admit to being wrong.”

“Except he doesn’t think he’s _done_ anything wrong—he thinks it’s me. That I’m so in love with him that I can’t be around him without making things awkward,” Louis griped, balling his hands into fists. “He thinks that I need to stop being so dramatic about the whole thing.”

“There’s no way that’s what he thinks.”

“Then why’d he tell me that?”

“He actually said that?”

“Yeah, _months_ ago. Apparently he thinks I’m still into him, ‘cause he’s still not talking to me. I mean, do I really look that lovesick? After all this time?”

“Uh. Well, we are sitting in his bunk right now. And you do kinda steal a lot of glances at him, on stage especially,” Zayn told him, which… _what?_ The bunk thing was undeniable, but he was sure he didn’t look at Harry _that_ often during their shows. It was just the only time he _could_ look at Harry without the alpha disappearing on him. Before he could defend himself, the alpha amended, “It doesn’t mean you’re lovesick. You just miss him.”

“Yeah, I do.” And it made him angry at this point. Life would be so much easier if he could just get over it. Maybe he _was_ just being dramatic about the whole thing. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You don’t wanna stay here tonight?”

“Nah,” he shrugged—now that they’d talked about it, this was the last place he wanted to be. “The room’s paid for anyway. May as well use it.”

Zayn slid out of the bunk first, grabbing a pillow from Niall’s before Louis climbed out. It was tucked under his arm as Louis retrieved a small backpack from his own bunk, filled with the clothes he’d need the following day.

“Can we hang out more?” Louis asked tentatively. “Like, tonight?”

“Yeah. Let me just drop this off first?”

He was already smiling as he nodded, barely able to believe how easily Zayn had agreed. God, he’d really missed this—spending time with Zayn. Spending time with any of them, really. It was hard to believe he’d been the one blowing them off before Liam’s stupid punishment had started. Now he missed them all just as badly as he missed Harry. Or almost as badly. No doubt it was a bit different.

Either way, he kept on smiling as they walked into the hotel together.

 

\---

 

“Any big plans during break?”

Louis snorted, knowing Paul _probably_ already knew the answer to that question. They’d spent a lot of time together during Louis’ isolation period, and he was grateful for that—it was people like Paul who had managed to pull him out of the slump he’d fallen into.

On nights when Zayn wasn’t free to hang out, he was out with a handful of crew members. It had finally reached the point where he actually enjoyed going out again. Not to get wasted, and not to stay occupied—they were just good people who he enjoyed being around.

That didn’t mean he didn’t still miss his pack, of course. Having Zayn on his side really helped though. The alpha had simplified it for him— _yes, it’s a punishment, but that doesn’t mean we want you to be miserable._ It was okay to enjoy himself even without his pack around. The important thing was, when he was ready to talk, they would still be willing to listen.

And since he wasn’t ready, it was nice to have other people around. People like Paul.

“Meeting my new girlfriend,” he answered, rolling his eyes for good measure.

“Girlfriend?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Louis responded, confused when Paul shook his head. The omega thing was top secret—only a select few people in management knew, so of course Paul would have no idea. The fake girlfriend thing though? Word had already gotten around to most of the people who had signed a standard NDA, which was basically all their regular crew members. “Well, secret’s out then. I’ll be in a _relationship_ for the next year, apparently.”

That just made Paul raise a brow. “Aren’t you gay?”

“Yep.”

“They’re taking this too far.”

“I know, but what am I supposed to do about it?” Louis shrugged, feeling as pathetic as he probably looked. “Every time I try to tell them no, they just hang my contract over my head.”

“You’re not a new band anymore. That might’ve worked a year ago, but you’ve got a lot more power now. Don’t let them bully you.”

Louis nodded automatically, though the words didn’t really sink in much. All he _could_ do was let them bully him at this point. They’d gotten him trapped in such an elaborate lie…and they’d made it perfectly clear they still had every right to boot him from the band if he stepped out of line. It didn’t matter how famous he was—they’d slaughter him in the media by revealing his lie, and everyone would be _glad_ that he was gone.

“You should have Liam sit in on your next contract negotiation,” Paul suggested, and _that_ caught his full attention.

“They told me I have to be alone for those. Something about privacy since our terms aren’t identical.”

“You’re a pack now, and he’s Alpha. He has the legal right to be there if you want him, and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“Are you sure?” Louis pressed, heart racing as he thought about the possibilities. That was only a couple months away. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d last at this rate…not since finding out the fake girlfriend thing wasn’t a solution at all. He’d seriously been debating making the announcement himself—to hell with the consequences. But if Paul was right, that changed everything. “I need to talk to him. Do you know where he is?”

“On your bus.”

Louis took off right away, waving to an amused Paul on his way off the crew bus. It was time to get his place back in the damn pack. He opened the door before he could remind himself he wasn’t welcome, not stopping until he realized Harry was the only one sitting in the tiny common area.

“Oh,” he whispered, running a hand through his hair as the alpha looked up at him. “Is Liam around?”

“Think they’re napping before the show,” Harry replied, sounding as uninterested as Louis would have expected at this point.

“Right,” Louis said, ready to go pull him out of bed. Except Harry was on his feet before that could happen, standing in Louis’ way. “Um. Move.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but they told me you weren’t allowed to be here.”

Louis raised an incredulous brow. “Seriously? This bus is for the band. Last I checked, I’m technically still a part of the band!”

“You’ll have to take that up with him.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” He shook his head, baffled when Harry didn’t respond or budge. “Seriously, do you hate me that much? What is wrong with you?”

“Don’t make this about us. He’s pack alpha, and he said you’re not allowed.”

“I’m not leaving until I talk to him,” Louis responded, folding his arms across his chest. “You can either move, or drag me off the bus yourself.”

“Why do you have to make everything so damn difficult? Whatever it is, it can wait until we’re backstage.”

“I’ve waited long enough. I need Liam, and I need him _now.”_

“Lou—”

“No! I’m so sick of you acting like my problems don’t matter. Like I’m just being dramatic and inconvenient. Believe it or not, I’ve got issues that go well beyond _you,_ Harold. Big issues. Now _move_ so I can talk to an alpha who might actually give a damn and help me.”

“I can’t move,” Harry told him, softly this time, “but whatever it is, you can tell me. I’ll help you.”

“I can’t even look at you, let alone talk to you about this.”

“Lou…You can tell me anything.”

He snorted at the notion. Maybe once upon a time. “I already tried talking to you about this, and it only made things worse for me. I’m not wasting my time again.”

Harry had the nerve to look hurt by his blunt words, which only irritated Louis further. Thankfully Liam had appeared behind him, groggy but very much awake—clearly thanks to their noisy bickering.

“What’s going on?” he asked, glancing between the two.

“I need your help,” Louis answered, fixing all his attention on Liam. “It’s important.”

“Are you going to tell me what you did to Niall?” Liam countered, as if it had just happened yesterday rather than weeks and weeksago.

“I didn’t _do_ anything to Niall,” Louis insisted, offended by the implication. He would _never_ do anything to hurt Niall. “It’s related to what upset him that night though.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

Louis frowned, nodding toward Harry. “I don’t want to talk about this in front of him.”

“We’re a pack, Lou. He’s going to find out anyway.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, forcing himself to stay composed. It’d be worth it in the end. “I need you to sit in on my contract renegotiation. Paul says you’re allowed since you’re pack alpha.”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve mentioned your contract,” Liam noted, quirking a brow. “What’s in it that’s so bad?”

“There’s a clause that prevents me from telling you,” Louis said, growing more and more uncomfortable under both alphas’ stares. They were so intense, and neither one was letting up.

“You must be able to tell me _something,”_ Liam insisted with a sigh. “I mean, is it about income? Are they taking an unreasonable percentage?”

“No! I don’t care about that.” He never cared about that—he made more than enough to support himself and his family, and that was all that mattered. “It’s about my image. I can’t really say more without getting in trouble.”

“I already offered to get you out of the fake dating.”

“Fake dating?” Harry jumped in, frowning deeply.

“I definitely want out of that,” Louis responded, opting to ignore Harry entirely. If all went according to plan, he wouldn’t need to bother. Liam could get him out of this before things had to go that far. “But it’s important that it’s _your_ idea. All of this.”

Liam and Harry exchanged a look that he couldn’t quite decipher before both turned back to him. “This is serious,” Liam said, like he was finally accepting the gravity of what Louis was saying. “When you say image, do you mean—”

“Don’t,” Louis interjected, throwing his hands up with wide eyes. “Don’t ask me, and don’t guess. I can’t tell you without getting into trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“They’ll kick me out of the band, and probably sue me for good measure.”

“And you told _Niall_ about it?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, the scrutiny nearly too much. “Well, yeah. And that was a mistake, obviously. I told you I’m sorry about that. I won’t screw up like that again!” Louis stared at Liam, growing more and more desperate by the second. His damn face was indecipherable—it was hard to gauge _what_ the alpha was thinking. “Please, Li. This isn’t easy for me—you _know_ I hate asking for help. I wouldn’t bother if it was something I could handle myself.”

He knew he’d said the right thing when Liam’s stern expression finally eased up. “Okay. I’ll be there.”

“And don’t tell them I asked you to come. You have to make it seem like it was your idea—they’ll be mad if they think I came to you about it. They’ll think I told you.”

“I’ll sit in on everyone’s,” Liam decided, a sense of finality in his tone. “We’re due for better terms now anyway. It’s my job to make sure we all get them.”

“You don’t think…Could we sign with someone else instead of renewing?”

“If you want to cross that bridge, you’re going to have to tell me why,” Liam said flatly.

Louis let out a disgruntled sigh. “Never mind.”

“We can keep a secret, Lou,” Harry told him, like it was the most obvious thing. “If you just tell us, Liam can come up with a plan ahead of time. No one else needs to know.”

“I didn’t ask _you_ for a damn thing. Mind your own business.”

“Be nice, Louis. He’s just trying to help—and he’s right, you know,” Liam said, staring at him pointedly. “The more I know in advance, the better.”

“Not really,” Louis replied, laughing at the thought. He’d be _livid_ if he knew—that was part of the reason it was safest to tell Niall only _._ The alpha in Liam wouldn’t be willing to wait until the renewal meeting before confronting management, and if that happened, they’d be able to prove Louis violated his contract. “It’s better you find out during the meeting. That way your reaction is authentic.”

“If you say so. We’re still a couple months out though—you’ll be okay until then?”

“I haven’t been _okay_ in a long time,” he admitted, eyes dropping to the floor. “But I will be.”

Liam put his hands on Louis’ shoulders, drawing his attention back up. “You will be,” he reaffirmed, confidence in his voice. “Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”

“Can I…can I come back to the bus? I think the crew’s getting sick of me.”

“Lou,” Liam muttered, looking torn. “We had a deal—you can’t come back until you tell me what happened with Niall.”

“But I _did_ tell you!”

“No, you didn’t. And no one’s sick of you. They told me they love having you,” Liam revealed with a warm smile. “It’s nice, you know. You spending time with other people. Getting you to hang out hasn’t been easy.”

Louis’ gaze flickered to Harry, who was suddenly busy trying not to meet his gaze. “Yeah, well. I’ve always gotten along with the crew—doesn’t mean I belong there. This is my pack, even if it hasn’t felt like that in a while.”

“Stay with them until the tour break,” Liam replied—or commanded, really. “I’m going to request an advance copy of everyone’s old contracts to look over then. We’ll talk about this again after.”

He wanted to protest, but at this point he was practically screaming he was an omega—a beta wouldn’t get so bent out of shape about being sent away. “Okay,” he agreed with a defeated shrug. “Can I see Niall at least? I didn’t even get to apologize to him that night.”

Liam considered it for a moment before nodding, “I’ll send him to your hotel room after the show tonight.”

A grin pulled at his mouth, relieved to get that much at least. “Thanks, Li.”

If only all the alphas in his pack were so dependable.

 

\---

 

Things were finally looking up.

It turned out the ‘fake girlfriend’ plans were too far along to get out of, but Louis was hopelessly optimistic about the whole thing now. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and it wasn’t a year away. It wasn’t hypothetical, and it wasn’t dependent on anyone else’s feelings.

Management might be able to walk all over him, but they wouldn’t be able to do the same with Liam—alphas weren’t easy to talk down. Especially angry alphas, and he was sure Liam would be a very angry alpha when he found out.

For the first time in far too long, it felt like he had a chance. It felt like he had a reason to be happy.

He’d already met with his new ‘girlfriend’, Eleanor, and she was incredibly nice. At first she’d flirted, hinting that maybe things wouldn’t be so fake by the end of all this…but he’d wasted no time letting her know that wouldn’t happen.

 _“It’s nothing personal. I’m gay,”_ he’d explained, almost apologetic as her eyes went wide in surprise.

After that, she’d taken it in stride. They got along well enough that the photo ops didn’t feel like much of a chore so far. The band had just started a two and a half week break before the American leg of their tour, and he’d be announcing their ‘official relationship status’ once they were on the road again.

Niall was ecstatic that Louis had actually gained something positive from his time on the crew bus—namely the knowledge that he could enlist Liam's help dealing with management. Apparently he'd felt incredibly guilty about the bus situation despite the fact it was Louis' own fault for getting Niall worked up in the first place. When they were finally able to talk again, they'd had the happiest conversation Louis had experienced in a long while. After that, Liam started allowing them to spend a bit of time together each day leading up to the break. It seemed their pack alpha was still at a loss about whatever the big issue was, but was convinced it was serious enough to let up a little on Louis’ punishment.

Between that, Zayn’s frequent visits, and his friends on the crew, Louis didn’t feel so alone anymore. Even in the confines of his flat with no one around. He was looking forward to the next few months—to being free from all the bullshit _finally._ He was sure nothing would dampen his mood between break and the big meeting with management.

Of course, he hadn't been anticipating an unwelcome visitor turning up at his flat door and interrupting an otherwise relaxing afternoon in.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked...because why should he greet Harry kindly at this point?

“Liam called me."

As if that were a sufficient explanation. Louis huffed, “Congratulations?”

“He said he got all of our contracts today. All except yours,” Harry continued, frowning. “You know what he got instead?”

“Uh. Probably a very elaborate NDA?” Louis guessed, not shocked at all when Harry nodded. He knew it would be a problem as soon as Liam mentioned trying to get an advance copy—they wouldn’t give it up so easily. “I told you guys. They’re serious about keeping this hushed. They won’t show him a thing till he signs.”

“He did. Then he got the real contract, read it, and told me I needed to come over here right away,” Harry told him curiously. “He didn’t tell me why—I was hoping you’d know?”

“Wait. They actually gave it to him?” Louis couldn’t hide the shock from his face when Harry confirmed it. He’d been so sure they’d come up with an excuse—any excuse to delay it. “Wow. And he sent _you?”_

“You don’t have to say it like that.”

Louis snorted. “Well, it doesn’t make much sense, does it? I certainly don’t want you here.”

“Lou…don’t be like this.”

“Like what? Bitter?” he assumed, glaring when Harry just nodded. “I _am_ bitter, Harry. You were my best friend, and you abandoned me for the stupidest reason.”

“I wanted to give you some space. You needed time.”

“No, I didn’t. I’m a big boy, Harry. I would’ve been fine being friends, even if you were seeing other people.”

“Maybe _I_ needed space,” Harry responded, raking a hand through his hair. “Can I come in?”

“No. You don’t get to come and go as you please, Harry. If you’d just told me you wanted some space or whatever, I could’ve handled it—but no, you had to be a jerk about it. I don’t like Alpha Harry, at all.”

“That’s not me. You know it’s not me.”

Louis shook his head in disagreement. “I don’t know you anymore.”

“You’re the _only_ one who knows me,” he argued, an odd hint of desperation in his voice. It was very un-alpha. “Please let me in.”

“Are you just here because you feel bad I’m going through something right now?” Louis asked slowly.

“No. I’m here because I miss you, and I want to apologize for being such an ass these last few months.”

“And because you feel bad about whatever I’m going through,” he concluded, smirking a bit when Harry conceded a nod. It was comforting and frustrating all at once—Harry _did_ care. Just not enough. “It doesn’t feel good, does it? Knowing your friend’s going through something, but not being able to help?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Harry agreed, eyes imploring. “I feel so useless. You of all people shouldn’t have to go to _Liam_ when you need an alpha. You’re supposed to come to me.”

Louis let out a short sigh before letting the alpha into his flat—a flat that had practically been a home for both of them before this last tour started.

“This contract thing, it’s nothing new,” Louis admitted, refusing to meet Harry’s gaze. He could almost pretend it was _his_ Harry if he didn't look at him. “It’s just harder to deal with now. Being around you always made it easier to forget.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better or worse?”

“Neither, it’s just a shitty situation. The point I’m getting at is, what’s happening with me isn’t your fault. You don’t need to feel bad about it. The only thing you should feel guilty about is how you’ve been acting lately.”

“I wish you would just tell me.”

 _If only you knew._ Louis almost laughed at the irony of it—the one person he always intended to tell the minute he could was just another person he couldn’t say a word to now.

“It’s not that simple. Not anymore.”

“Why does _Niall_ get to hear it first? And Liam? Shit, Lou. I know things are bad right now, but I never thought…This isn’t how we’re supposed to be.”

He shrugged, having been struggling with the same thought for months and months now. “It was your decision.”

“Well, I changed my mind.”

Louis raised an annoyed brow, finally looking up. “Changed your mind?”

“I want you, Lou. I’ve _always_ wanted you, and I’m sick of pretending I don’t.”

Harry looked so completely serious, but that didn’t stop Louis from outright laughing. “You’ve literally lost your mind, haven’t you?”

“Lou…”

“If you want to be friends again, _fine._ I don’t forgive you, but we can work on it. You don’t need to pretend you want something else. I don’t need you telling me what you think I want to hear.”

“I’m not just saying what I think you want to hear. I’m saying it because it’s true. I _want_ you. I always have, I just didn’t think it would work. Alphas and betas don’t normally mix the way we do.”

Louis didn't know _how_ to react to that. “Oh?”

“Everyone got in my head about it—they told me all these stories about betas not submitting, and alphas hurting them, and I just…I would _never_ forgive myself if I hurt you like that, Lou.”

“Harry—”

“No, let me finish. I let them talk me out of pursuing you, and I’ve regretted it every damn day since,” Harry proclaimed, reaching out for Louis’ hands. His grip was so firm—so _alpha._ “I’m done though. Done letting other people have a say in what should only be something for you and me to decide. We can make this work. I want to be the person you go to when you need help. I want to be your alpha.”

All he could do was stare blankly, not sure what was even happening right now. It just didn’t make sense. Why would Harry come and say all this _now?_ Hadn’t he _asked_ Harry if status was the thing keeping them apart? Hadn’t Harry insisted that the beta thing had nothing to do with it?

They’d talked about this specifically, and then he’d seen the proof first hand—how _happy_ Harry was without him. While he was moping around and miserable, Harry was out having the time of his life…like they’d never been friends at all. Those weren’t the actions of someone who’d wanted him all along.

“Liam told you, didn’t he?” Louis realized—because _of course._ It would be easier this way. “That’s what this is about. You’re acting like you want me so that I can tell you. The Harry clause in my contract.”

The alpha blinked. “Harry clause?”

“You’re both assholes,” Louis snapped, tugging his hands away. “You don’t get to toy with me like that. It’s not worth it just to come out a couple months early. I’ll wait till the contract is up, and Li can yell at them during the meeting. I’m sure he wants to anyway, and I’d kind of like to see it at this point.”

“Come out?” Harry repeated, his confusion too genuine to be an act. “Come out as _what,_ Lou?”

 _Oh._ He opened his mouth, but for once there was nothing to say—not when he’d misread the situation so completely. Not when he’d already said too much. The way Harry was staring at him, putting the pieces together. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

“All of us already know you’re not into women,” the alpha continued, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Harry…”

“Just say it. I’m already thinking it anyway—I’d rather hear it from you.”

It was so much easier said than done. How many times had he hinted at it? Nearly blurted it out? For more than two years, it had eaten at him every day—the desire to say these words to Harry. But just like before, something was stopping him now.

And it wasn’t management this time. It was the look on Harry’s face—the hurt in his eyes.

“I’m an omega,” Louis whispered, so quietly that he barely heard himself. The confirmation only caused Harry’s expression to fall further, like he was so disappointed. They had been best friends—there weren’t supposed to be secrets between them, especially not of this magnitude. “You have to understand, I never wanted to hide it from you. I never wanted any of this.”

“They blackmailed you.”

“It wasn’t…They didn’t blackmail me, they just made me a deal. They wanted me in the band, but they needed a beta. It was only supposed to be for the competition, but then…I don’t know. They kept pushing it back over and over, and the next thing I knew, it was in my contract.”

“They blackmailed you,” Harry repeated, more fiercely this time.

“No. They’re jerks, but they didn’t do anything illegal. I agreed to it—I signed all the paperwork.”

“Because it was the only way they’d let you stay in the band, Lou. That’s blackmail!”

“It doesn’t matter now. I just want to put it all behind me—I’ll be free soon.”

“It _matters,”_ Harry growled, causing Louis to flinch. “Who do you think told me not to pursue you, Lou?”

“You were serious about that?” he asked, barely believing it when Harry nodded. “You wanted me?”

And just like that, all the anger and frustration were gone. Harry was staring down at him so intently, wearing a fond expression Louis hadn’t seen in far too long. “I’ve always wanted you.”

“Did they tell you to be an asshole, too?” Louis questioned, half-serious, half-incredulous.

“Lou…If I’d explained it nicely, you would’ve talked me into trying anyway.”

“Yeah, because I would’ve been able to tell you I was an omega! Why do you think I asked you if that’d change things? But you said _no,_ Harry! You said no, and then you ignored me for _months_ while you were off with other people!”

“I didn’t know, Lou! How could I have? I thought you were just saying that stuff to talk me into changing my mind. I never suspected…You did a damn good job keeping this whole thing a secret.”

“So it’s my fault?”

“I didn’t say that—we were both manipulated here. They _knew_ you were an omega, but they told me to stay away from you because you were a beta. They told me I was a danger to you, and I believed them. Who do you think suggested I start going out all the time? They said I could use a distraction. I wasn’t really sleeping with half the people I was seen with.”

Louis blinked in surprise. “You weren’t?”

“No. I mean, some of them…but you have to understand how much it hurt at first. Physically, all the changes I went through—sex was literally the only thing that made me feel better. And then I just hit this point where I needed something to take my mind off _you._ It wasn’t nearly as often as they made it seem.”

“You don’t need to justify sleeping around, Haz.” Because as much as it hurt to think about Harry being with other people, there was nothing wrong with that part of Harry’s behavior. “It’s not like we were together.”

The alpha looked relieved at that, but there were still so many emotions to be seen in his eyes. “What the hell is the Harry clause?”

Louis practically kicked himself, embarrassed that he’d actually used that term aloud. It would be easier to just show Harry the contract, he realized, gesturing for the alpha to follow him instead of responding.

Harry did so without question, settling onto the edge of his bed while he walked into his closet and punched a code into his safe—something he was required to have to store his copies of important paperwork (by contract, of course). It only took him a moment to flip to the appropriate page, having practically memorized the damn thing after too many failed hunts for loopholes.

“Here,” Louis said, gesturing toward _the Harry clause._

The alpha accepted the paperwork, quickly reading through the terms and conditions of Louis’ hidden status. Then he kept reading, making it through at least three pages—to the part with the penalties for violating any given term. By the end of it, he was radiating with enough anger that Louis could _feel_ it—something very rare thanks to his suppressants.

“They only added it to shut me up. They never believed me about you being an alpha. But then you _were,_ and I was so happy...” Louis shook his head at the thought—he remembered it all so vividly, the day Harry disappeared out of the blue. Being told he’d gone into rut. It had all been so exciting at the time. “Except that was when you stopped talking to me.”

“I had a meeting the day my rut ended. At first they said it was to go over strategy, since they hadn’t expected it,” Harry explained, gesturing for Louis to take a seat beside him. He did so reluctantly, and only when the anger seemed to have faded. “They spent most of it quoting statistics to me, and showing me pictures. Explaining why alphas and betas don’t work together. I knew you’d been waiting for me to grow up—to present as _something_ so we could be together. I couldn’t even look at you though, not after everything they showed me.”

“Harry…”

“I thought I was protecting you. Protecting both of us.”

“You have no idea how much I wish that changed things,” Louis said softly, glancing over at the man he was still pathetically in love with. Or the enlarged shell of that man, at least. They were well past the point where things could be fixed with a quick explanation and a few kind words. “The damage is already done.”

“So let’s undo it. I _love_ you. We both know the truth now.”

“The truth? The truth is that you chose to be cruel and malicious toward me for the last six _months_. The truth is you avoided me and ignored me when I needed you. I meant what I said earlier—I don’t like Alpha Harry. Not at all.”

Harry stared at him with so much pain, but somewhere in it, Louis could see that he understood. “I don’t like Alpha Harry either. I’m going to be different—better, even. I’m going to fix this.”

“It’s not that easy, Haz.”

“I don’t expect it to be. But you know now. You understand why I acted that way, right?”

“Not really,” Louis grumbled, folding his arms across the chest. “I get why you thought we couldn’t be together, and I’m _pissed_ at them for making you think that, but they didn’t tell you to be an ass. You could’ve turned me down without being mean.”

“No, I couldn’t have. If I’d told you how I felt, you would’ve talked me out of it.”

“Then tell me you don’t feel the same! Don’t tell me I’m dramatic and that I need to stop playing omega. Christ, Harry! Do you have any idea how much that hurt?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, so sincerely. “I thought if I pushed you away, it’d be easier for us both. How was I supposed to get over you if we spent all our time together? If we acted like nothing changed?”

“Well, it worked. I loved the person you were—not this version of you.”

“I didn’t change. Not really. I put on an act the same way you put on an act.”

“Except my act was never malicious. It was never intended to hurt anyone.”

“But it did. I _hate_ that you lied to me all this time,” Harry told him, fists clenched around the paperwork. “I understand why you had to though. I don’t blame you for it. And the others, once they know, they won’t be happy either—but they won’t hold it against you. Liam’s call makes a lot more sense now that I think about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he practically screamed at me. Said I needed to come over here right now so we could sort out our shit. I thought he just meant we needed to make up—that you needed a friend right now. But maybe it was more than that.”

“He was hoping you’d find out and suddenly want me. That I wouldn’t have to wait two more months before telling the world about me.” It _was_ the only loophole in his current contract, and even Liam wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. Still, Louis scoffed at the thought. Their issues ran too deep for that to happen now. “He’s crazy.”

“Maybe not. Maybe you don’t have to wait until that meeting.”

Louis narrowed his eyes. “I _just_ told you this isn’t happening. I’m not opposed to letting you try to convince me otherwise, but it’s going to take more than two months. I want my friend back first.”

“Yeah, but I seem to remember something about you fake dating?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m supposed to announce my girlfriend when we’re back on tour,” Louis responded, curious where Harry was going with this.

“What if you fake date me instead?” Again, Harry was so serious, and all Louis could do was laugh. “I mean it! If being together gets you your freedom sooner, then let’s do it. No one needs to know it’s not real.”

He kept chuckling for a moment until he really began to process the idea. It wasn’t half bad, really. A lot of people had suspected something was going on between them anyway—clearly management had worried as well, since they’d pulled a fast one on Harry. The current rift between them was so public though…

“I can’t,” Louis decided. “I don’t want to use you like that, or give you the wrong idea. I don’t even know how to be around you right now.”

“Lou, I’m offering to do this. I _want_ to do this. If anything, I’ll be using you _._ You’re the one stuck in a corner.”

“That’s not a very good argument.”

“But you’re considering it, aren’t you?” Harry guessed with a grin. “I promise not to make it weird, or go too far. I’ll be your friend first—it’ll give me time to prove myself to you.”

Damn those dimples…Even now they made it so hard to say no. “We need a plan then. How am I going to get out of dating Eleanor? I’ve already been seen with her.”

“We’ll start by going to lunch. A very public lunch,” Harry suggested, thinking it over with a nod. “People will see things aren’t so bad between us.”

“Makes sense.”

“Then we’ll be seen again and again. We’ll spend the rest of break together—maybe do some posts on social media, let the fans see we’re hanging out?”

“Okay. What else?”

“And then I’ll privately declare my love for you, you’ll tell me you’re an omega since you’ll be contractually allowed at that point, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Louis arched a brow. “Take care of it _how?”_

“It involves a very angry phone call in which I declare to management that I do, in fact, intend to mate you,” Harry responded, using the exact wording from the contract. “Then I’ll chew them out, which I’m really looking forward to. And when we’re done with them, I’ll take you right to the hospital.”

“Hospital?”

“You’ve been on suppressants for way too long, Lou. It’s just a precaution.”

“How does any of this get me out of dating Eleanor? She has a paid contract, and they said it’s already built into my publicity obligations. They’ll just tell us we have to wait.”

“They can’t make you see her when you’re with me. Contract or not, alpha/omega partners have legal rights, and forcing you to see her would violate ours. They’ll have to pay her out and let you off the hook.”

Louis smiled a bit at that, but it was almost too surreal. It couldn’t be that simple. “Everyone’s going to hate me. All the fans…I’ve been lying for _years._ ”

“They won’t. How could they? You got pushed into this—it wasn’t something you wanted.”

“Management won’t just let me come out and blame them.”

Harry looked over the paperwork once again, carefully scanning the pertinent sections. “They really didn’t think this would happen—you and me. Every other part of this is so detailed.”

“Legitimately, there was laughter when they agreed to include it.”

“Was I that much like an omega?” Harry wondered aloud, like it was the strangest thing.

And it _was_ strange. Louis had never understood why no one else could see what he saw back then. Sure, there were certain things about Harry that were stereotypically associated with omegas, but those things were just a small part of who Harry was as a person.

When Louis didn’t say any of that though, Harry continued, “Maybe that’s why I’m such a bad alpha now.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Louis told him, unamused. “Do you realize how dull everything is while I’m on suppressants? I still knew within _a minute_ what you were, and you hadn’t even presented yet.”

“Yeah, but it’s always been different with you. Everyone else babied me—they did things for me, and I let them.”

“You hated it. You were frustrated _every day.”_

“Yeah, and now everyone’s treating me the way I always wanted, and what do I do? Act like an entitled asshole. I fucked everything up.”

“Well…” Louis hesitated.

He couldn’t really deny it—so far, Harry hadn’t been a good alpha as far as he was concerned. And maybe he had a point. Maybe if Louis hadn’t been the only one treating him like an alpha all along, he would’ve been more prepared the day he actually became one.

But that didn’t mean it was too late. It hadn’t even been a year. A few months of questionable behavior didn’t define a person. Plus, Louis knew a thing or two about making bad choices. It wasn’t like he was totally innocent here.

“We need to look at this as a good thing,” Louis decided. “If they’d known you’d be an alpha, they never would’ve added that clause to my contract. I’d be stuck still.”

A smile began tugging at the corner of Harry’s mouth. “Or they would’ve added a more stipulations. It’s so vague…There’s nothing in here about how or when you can announce this. We can do this however we want.”

“Yeah, but how _do_ we want to do this?”

“I can tell you what I think, but it’s really your choice. They’ve taken so much away from you—you need to be the one to take it all back.”

As appealing as that sounded, something in him had to know, “What do you think?”

“I think it’d be best to just tell everyone the truth. If that means management takes the blame, then that’s what they get for putting you in this situation in the first place.”

Louis furrowed his brows, thinking it over. He never really thought he’d have a choice when it came to this. Sure, he’d always planned to come out someday, but he assumed it would be whatever narrative management wanted—not whatever _he_ wanted.

On the one hand, it was his own fault too, wasn’t it? He’d agreed from the start. He’d been greedy—he wanted in the band so badly that he’d agreed to something that made him incredibly uncomfortable. How could he blame anyone else for it now?

On the other hand, would he ever really be able to put this behind him if he sugar coated it by making up some farfetched excuse? It _was_ their fault. Yes, he’d been complicit in the beginning, but they’d taken it way too far. They’d used it against him at every opportunity, and clearly planned to continue doing so. Why should he lie to cover it up for them?

“It’s Liam,” Harry mumbled, catching his attention. He looked over as Harry answered his phone, unaware it had even been ringing. “Hey…You _what?”_ Louis straightened where he sat, tense as he watched Harry’s features shifting in frustration. “Calm down, Li. I’ve got it under control.” All he could make out was Liam incoherent voice on the other side of the line—loud, but not loud enough for him to pick up on. “Liam,” Harry cut in with sigh. “Okay. I’ll be here.”

He hung up after, pivoting on the bed. “So, Zayn and Niall are on their way.”

Louis groaned. “Did he tell Zayn?”

“I guess he called and yelled at management after he talked to me earlier,” Harry explained slowly. “Zayn overheard the whole thing.”

“What'd management tell him?”

“That the terms weren’t open for debate until the renegotiation period.”

“Figures,” he muttered, kicking his feet absentmindedly.

“Hey,” Harry whispered, taking one of his hands into his own. “We’re going to fix this, remember?”

“Yeah, but what happens when they find out we’re not really together? Even if I come out and we sign with someone else, they’ll just come after me later.”

“Lou…I was using the term fake dating loosely. This is very real to me.”

“But—”

“I know. I _know_ I’ve got a lot to make up for. But I also know I’m gonna do it. I’m going to be your friend, and then I’m going to court you properly. We’re just putting a label to it a little early, that’s all.”

“How are you so sure it’ll work out? What if I never look at you the same way again?”

“Look at me right now,” Harry commanded, his light tone easing Louis’ nerves as he allowed himself to meet the alpha’s eyes. “I’m going to fix this. I want to be with you, Lou. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the kind of alpha you need. Do you believe me?”

No doubt his gut was leaning toward _yes,_ but he was far too stubborn to admit that so soon. “I want to,” he said instead.

 

\---

 

They had a plan.

There had been two weeks left of break when Harry had first found out, and they’d started laying the foundation on day one. Zayn and Niall’s arrival at Louis’ flat had thrown a wrench in their public lunch scheme, but they’d found a work around—a few creative posts on Twitter and Instagram made it seem like it was just the two of them hanging out like old times.

And then they kept it up. Harry was papped coming and going from Louis’ flat, often times in different clothes or with his hair tussled from goofing around. They were seen out and about in London multiple times, and even though they weren’t acting like a couple yet, things were distinctly different.

It had always been easy with Harry before—maybe that was why there was something so natural about spending so much time together now. But even still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing would ever really be the same.

And that was a good thing.

As happy as Louis had been with their friendship, it was never what he really wanted with Harry. Knowing where things were headed this time around…no matter how much he tried to tell himself they had to take it slow, he couldn’t stop the flutter in his stomach every time Harry showed up at his door. He couldn’t ignore the excitement that tore through him when they touched, even when it was 100% platonic.

“Are you making the call today?” Louis wondered, linking one of their hands together over the table.

They were actually in a private booth this time, so it wasn’t for show. It was just the thought of Harry telling management he _knew_ made him incredibly anxious. What if they found out he’d told Harry before he was allowed? Their management team wasn’t stupid. The fact that this all started happening right after Liam got ahold of the contract would send up a red flag right away.

Harry gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Yeah. We’re running out of time if we wanna do this before we’re back on tour.”

It had already been a week, and they were expecting Louis’ hospital stay to take a few days at least. After that, he had to go tell his story to the world—Liam was taking care of that part. He hadn’t been able to schedule anything official since technically no one was supposed to know yet, but he’d already gotten the appropriate contact info for when the time was right. It wasn’t like anyone would turn down such a big story, even if it was at the last minute.

But before all that could happen, he owed his mum a visit. She deserved to hear about what was happening before it was splattered across the news, as did his sisters.

“You’ll come to Donny with me?”

“Of course. We can drive up tonight, if you want. After I make the call?” he suggested, getting Louis’ immediate approval. “It’ll be better to bring you to the hospital there anyway. Less chance of getting papped.”

Louis hummed in agreement. As much as he was ready to let the world know what he was, he really didn’t want anyone seeing him right after he came off his suppressants. It had been so long, and he’d only had one heat before all this happened. He wasn’t even sure how to be an omega at this point. It’d be nice to compose himself before anyone started scrutinizing his every move.

“I want Niall to be there. In the hospital,” he decided, hoping not to offend Harry.

Thankfully the alpha just smiled and nodded, like it was a given. “All the guys will come up,” Harry assured him—which made sense. They were a pack. Not to mention the fact they wouldn’t send their omega out on his own. “I think you should talk to your mum alone though.”

“Uh. You’ll be there at least, right? I don’t think she’ll be as forgiving as you lot,” Louis admitted, laughing uneasily at the thought. She was an omega, but she was definitely more frightening than his pack alphas. “It’ll be your first real chance to protect me. She might try to kill me.”

“She won’t.”

Louis wasn’t convinced. “Right. But if she does…”

“I’ll save you,” Harry promised with a wink.

“And I don’t mean literally. You know me mum—she’s not a violent person. I can already see the look on her face, and _that_ might do me in. She wouldn’t have cared, you know? She would’ve been thrilled about me being an omega.”

“She still will be,” the alpha reasoned, sure of himself as ever. “You did all this for her, Lou. For your family. That’s something she should be proud of.”

“She should be proud her oldest child is a liar?”

“She should be proud her oldest child would do anything for his family. That’s not a bad quality. And the liar thing, it’s really a matter of perspective. I don’t think of any of this as you lying.”

Both brows shot up. “Oh?”

“I mean, technically, I guess you did. But they manipulated you. I know you don’t wanna hear it, but it’s the truth. You were vulnerable, and they took advantage.”

“Harry—”

“They tried to make you seem like the weakest link. Like doing this was your only option.”

“It _was_ my only option.”

“That’s bullshit, Lou. They wanted _you,_ omega or not. If it was that big of a deal, they would’ve just taken someone else,” Harry insisted firmly. “And they were right to want you. You’re not the weakest link—we don’t sound right without you. Our dynamic isn’t the same either.”

“Then why bother with all this? I’ve been nothing but a pain in the ass, begging to get out of this every chance I had. I doubt it’s been fun for them.”

“Look at how much control they have over you. All the stunts they make you pull—I used to wonder what it was. Back when I couldn’t get into clubs, you’d go sometimes…you always said management was making you. That they’d penalize you if you didn’t. I knew something was off about that.”

Louis sunk in his chair, remembering that all too well. Those nights sucked. It wasn’t that he hated clubbing or anything, but back then he disliked anything that he couldn’t do with Harry. He’d also been pushed to endorse products and places he could care less about, including clothing that he had to wear on a regular basis. Sometimes he’d have to eat at a restaurant he didn’t even like, just to be seen there. Oh, and all the times management had taken over his accounts and tweeted the weirdest things.

They’d always told him it was built into his contract. That it was included in his publicity obligations, and he knew the penalties of not complying. He’d always found it unfair, too. Everyone else got to pick and choose anything before endorsing it, and they had full control of all their own accounts.

“I wonder why I was the only one who got a bad contract, then. If it was about control and not about needing a beta.”

“You were the only adult, Lou. The only one who didn’t have a parent sitting in on those meetings. They saw an opportunity with you, and they took it—and they were _wrong._ No one should ever have to go through what you went through.”

“You really think they would’ve let me stay even if I’d said no?”

“They’d be crazy if they didn’t. This band never would’ve worked out without you,” Harry told him, his soft insistence doing wonders to ease all the old insecurities that had flared up. “Having you under their thumb was just a bonus.”

“If I’d just broken the contract and told you all…you don’t think they would’ve kicked me out?”

“Honestly? No, I don’t. They would’ve turned around and given you worse terms though. The way your contract’s built, we wouldn’t have been able to stop them. Liam had a lawyer look it over—it’s really bad. Not illegal, but completely unethical.”

“So it’s good that I didn’t say anything?”

“There’s nothing _good_ about any of this, so there’s no point thinking about how it might’ve gone. I’m just happy we’re moving forward. I want you to be happy, too.”

He smiled a little at that. “You’re always so good at this—making me feel better. I really missed you,” he admitted, a blush spreading over his cheeks as Harry beamed at him. “Niall was so upset when I first told him, and Zayn…he’s been acting so guilty, like he should’ve known. It just makes me feel worse though because it’s my fault, not his.” Harry opened his mouth like he was about to protest, but Louis just raised his spare hand, not done yet. “Liam’s so mad that he hasn’t even talked to me about any of this yet—just you. I screwed up so bad, and I just…you’re the only one who’s made me feel like it’s all going to work out somehow.”

That was his roundabout way of saying _thank you,_ but Harry didn’t seem to be accepting any of it. His expression had grown tense while Louis spoke, and he seemed to be waiting for his cue to respond.

Louis finally gave him a slight nod.

“First, Liam’s not mad at _you_ ,” Harry informed him. “He’s mad at management. If he hasn’t talked to you, it’s because he feels just as guilty as Zayn—maybe _worse_ since he’s pack alpha. We all should’ve realized, Lou.” The alpha held up his hand the same way Louis had, waving off any objections. “That thing I said about you playing omega? I know it was an asshole thing to say, but the truth is, I always did think you were more like an omega around me. I _noticed,_ and I never pushed it. I never asked you.”

“I would’ve denied it, and then I would’ve been more careful.”

Harry just shrugged. “I still should’ve asked. We’re alphas, Lou. There’s nothing you can say to make us feel less responsible about this, and that’s okay. It’s just how we are, and it’ll push us to be better from now on.”

“That’s stupid. You can’t honestly think you’re responsible for _my_ bad choices.”

“That’s another thing. You need to stop blaming yourself. None of us think this is your fault. We’ve all read the contract multiple times now—your hands were tied.”

“Just because I’m an omega doesn’t mean I’m helpless and naïve. I know it’s not all on me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not partially responsible. I’ve every right to feel bad about it.”

“For now,” Harry mused, something foreign in his eyes as they met Louis’.

“What’s that mean?”

“It means things are going to be different once you’re off suppressants. That’s the beauty of you being an omega—you don’t have to live with that guilt. I can take it away.”

Louis furrowed his brows in confusion until it hit him. “You…you’re serious? You’re not even my alpha!”

“Not yet,” Harry corrected with a grin, bringing the color right back to Louis’ cheeks. “You’re my intended mate. That means the responsibility falls to me.”

“But…if you don’t think I did anything wrong, why do I need to be punished for it?” Louis asked, genuinely baffled. Unless Harry _did_ think it was his fault after all…

“It’s not always about how an alpha sees the situation. If you think you did something wrong, it’s still my job to address it even if I don’t agree. I’d rather reassure you with words, but this one runs too deep for you.”

“Or you just wanna get your hands on my ass,” he grumbled, mostly to himself.

Harry, of course, heard anyway. “If you’d rather Liam take care of it, I’m sure he’s willing. Pack alpha responsibilities and all that,” he said, smirking as he watched Louis’ eyes go wide.

“No! It has to be you,” he decided on the spot. Liam and Zayn were always great with Niall (he’d seen it firsthand), but it really only seemed right for Harry to take care of this. “Can we not talk about this? I’m not even off them yet, and it’s making me anxious.”

“Of course. Don’t be anxious though—it’s going to make you feel better, not worse.”

Louis leveled him with a doubtful look. “Whatever you say, alpha.”

“I could get used to you calling me that,” Harry said, laughing loudly as Louis’ jaw dropped.

 

\---

 

If there was one thing Louis loved about Niall, it was that he knew how to take his alphas by surprise. The bright, bubbly omega could turn in an instant when the mood suited him…and apparently it suited him when they were in Louis’ hospital room.

“No alphas allowed!” he exclaimed, glaring at the lot of them.

To his credit, he’d tried asking nicely—as sweet as ever. But _no,_ they’d told him…Louis needed their support as well. They wouldn’t leave the room unless Louis asked them to go.

Yeah, that was the wrong decision on their part.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Liam replied sternly.

And then Niall _growled_ at him—something omegas rarely did, especially toward their own alphas. “I’m serious, Li. Get out, and take those two with you. I need to talk to Lou alone.”

Liam held his gaze, sending along a message Louis had learned to read over the years—they’d be talking about Niall’s attitude later. But for now he let his omega win, nodding toward Zayn and Harry. They followed Liam to the door, all three glancing back at Louis with reassuring smiles on their way out.

“I owe you one,” Louis said as soon as the door closed.

He’d been tensing up where he laid, stressed by all the attention on him, but too worried to vocalize it. It had been more than 24 hours since his last suppressant, and it was like everyone was waiting for it to magically wear off. As if it’d happen in an instant, and they’d just _know_ he was an omega despite already being well aware.

Niall smiled fondly at him, crawling right onto the little bed and lying by his side. “Alphas always wanna be right. Sometimes you’ve gotta put your foot down to get the point across.”

“Are you in trouble now?”

“Nah. He’ll spank me, but nothing big. He knows I don’t get like that for no good reason.”

“But…why’s he going to spank you then?”

“Because I shouldn’t speak to him like that,” Niall said simply. “I always feel bad when I do, you know? Even when they deserve it.”

Louis stiffened again, remembering Harry’s words on the subject. “This omega stuff is tricky.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just don’t get it—the punishment thing,” he said, biting at his lower lip. “You get punished when you’re wrong _and_ when you’re right?”

“Well, kinda. It’s more like they give us whatever we need. We carry things around with us differently than alphas do,” Niall explained with an empathetic smile. “You’ll see what I mean when all that junk’s not in your system anymore.”

“I kinda get it now. It’s just a lot to think about—how things will change. I'm used to doing whatever I want.”

“Don’t let the word punishment freak you out. I don’t even like calling it that. They never do anything to me that I don’t want or need, you know? Harry will be the same with you.”

Louis hummed thoughtfully, sure he’d have a better grasp of that in the coming weeks. “He’s been great.”

“Yeah? You two are a thing then?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, hoping Niall might have something helpful to say. “I want to be mad still, but it’s _Harry.”_

Harry Styles was impossible to be mad at…when he wasn’t constantly running in the opposite direction.

The more he thought about it, the more he was sure Harry hadn’t done anything unforgiveable. Mostly he’d just avoided Louis, and for good reason—given the information he’d been provided, at least. That didn’t take away the pain Louis had endured in his absence, but…it was something. And he’d been so _good_ about all this—if Harry could forgive his lie without question, why shouldn’t he forgive Harry’s behavior in return? It was just his stubborn side holding a grudge at this point, telling him it was way too soon to forgive and forget.

“You love him,” Niall said, without any doubt. Louis found himself nodding anyway. “I think you should go for it. Why stay mad when you’re going to forgive him anyway?”

Louis arched a brow. “Well, he _did_ make me completely miserable for several months.”

“Yeah, but a beta wouldn’t have been. A beta would’ve been upset at first, but gotten over it a lot quicker. And Harry, he’d never have treated you that way if he’d known you were an omega. Betas can handle being ignored—not omegas,” Niall said, pausing to let Louis process all that. He was right. All of Harry’s asshole behaviors wouldn’t have upset a real beta. “I know he hurt you, but when you think about it, he didn’t do anything terrible. Not really.”

“So I should just let it go? All of it?”

“I didn’t say that. I just mean, you’re going to be together anyway. You _love_ each other, right?” Niall pressed, and again Louis found himself nodding. He believed every single one of Harry’s confessions. “So let him court you. That doesn’t mean you have to go all in right away—you can still make him for that.”

“What if…” He shook his head, feeling stupid before he could even get it out.

“It’s just me, Lou. We’re in this together, remember?”

Louis smiled at that. It was something Niall had told him the first night they saw each other after Liam started letting them spend time together again. “ _You and me, we’re a team. We’re in this together,”_ the omega had told him with his brightest smile—clearly thrilled to have another omega around.

As it turned out, being the only omega in the pack had been weighing on Niall for quite some time— _especially_ after Harry presented as an alpha. Niall had grown accustomed to treating Harry a certain way, having expected him to be an omega too. All that changed though. Harry had become yet another alpha in the pack instead, and even though he wasn’t _Niall’s_ alpha, it drastically altered their dynamic.

Having Louis around as a beta helped, but having Louis as an omega was even better. They’d be able to understand each other on a whole new level.

“What if I’m not as good as you?” Louis asked, averting his gaze.

“Uh, you _are._ Don’t worry about that.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to act though! I’m used to doing things alone. I kind of depended on Harry before, but he’s been out of my life for all this time now.”

“Did you have a hard time adjusting to him coming back?”

“No,” Louis said—it was almost too easy the way Harry had blended back into his day to day.

“You’ll be fine. Omegas aren’t supposed to act a certain way. Just be you, and don’t question yourself. We all know you’re sassy and stubborn, and no one wants that to change.”

“I talk back a lot.”

Niall snorted. “It’s fine, Lou. No one in this pack wants you to be perfectly submissive. That’s not what being an omega’s about.”

“You’ll help me?”

“With anything you need,” Niall promised, kissing his cheek. “Just do me a favor and don’t try to act like me. I’d rather you be yourself.”

“What if I smell bad?”

“You won’t. Omegas always smell good, especially to alphas.”

Louis inhaled a long breath near Niall’s neck, something he’d never really tried before. The suppressants made it pointless. He didn’t smell, and he couldn’t smell anyone else. There was still nothing as he exhaled. “I can’t wait to smell you,” he admitted, smirking as Niall’s face lit up.

“They say I smell sweet. I think all omegas do though. I bet you’ll be sweeter.”

“I’ll probably smell like chemicals or something after all this. Did you hear what my doctor said?”

Niall's face morphed into a concerned frowned. “No, what?”

“The limit’s normally six months. The doctor management got mine from is probably going to lose his license,” Louis revealed, shaking his head dismally. Sure, the doctor should’ve known better, but he couldn’t help thinking that it was just another person he’d screwed things up for. “They have to run tests on me to see if there’s permanent damage.”

“What kind of damage?”

“There’s a chance some of the effects won’t go away. I might not have heats, or produce slick—I might not be able to carry pups.” He felt his eyes filling up with tears as he rattled the list off. No one had told him that might happen until he got here—they’d always just said normally omegas don’t take them for so long, but that the doctor wouldn’t prescribe them if it wasn’t okay. “And the smell thing. What if I don’t smell at all? Or I can’t smell anyone else? What if I don’t project my moods like a normal omega, or if I can’t feel anything from anyone else?”

“Louis.” Both omegas shot up on the bed. They’d been too caught up in each other to hear the door open, or to notice that Harry had come back into the room. “I was here when the doctor told you all that. Do you remember what else he said?”

“That I could be exactly like this, permanently.”

Harry stared at him for a long minute. “And?”

“I think that’s bad enough, Harry!”

“You’re scaring Niall. Don’t you think you should tell him how unlikely all that is?” Harry pushed, stepping closer to the bed. “How most of the things you listed only occur in omegas who’ve been suppressed for more than five years? You’re not even at the three year mark. The doctor expects you to make a full recovery.”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing,” Harry interjected, shaking his head firmly. “You’re going to be fine. Now apologize to Niall for getting him worried over nothing.”

“I…” Louis looked to Niall, heart sinking as he realized how upset the omega looked. He’d been so focused on his own concerns that he hadn’t noticed. Again. “I’m sorry, Niall. He’s right—it’s probably nothing. It was just a lot when the doctor started saying all that.”

“It’s okay,” Niall told him, pulling him in for an awkward hug—they were still half laying, half sitting. “I’d be worried too. You’re going to be fine though. I can tell.”

“How?”

Niall studied him for a long moment before nodding at whatever his conclusion was. “I just know. I can already feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“You’re nervous. It’s faint, but I can feel it on you. That must mean something, right? I never used to be able to feel your emotions—I’d just see them on your face.”

Louis blinked a few times, only to find Niall still smiling at him. “You can really tell?”

“Yeah.”

“God, how embarrassing!”

Niall and Harry both snorted, almost simultaneously. “Only you, Lou,” Harry muttered, taking his seat by the bedside.

The omega was quick to agree, “One minute you’re worried we won’t be able to, the next it’s embarrassing that we can.”

“It’s not embarrassing that you _can,_ it’s embarrassing that I’m nervous. I’d rather you feel it when I’m happy or something—not when I’m freaking out,” Louis explained, not giving a damn how pathetic he was sure he sounded. “Seriously. Don’t let Zayn and Liam back in until it’s something better.”

“That reminds me, they need to see you,” Harry said, looking to Niall. “They’re waiting outside the room.”

“They can wait longer. Lou needs me right now,” Niall told him, mirroring the warning stare Harry was sending him. “It’s an omega thing. I don’t expect any of you to understand.”

“We do understand. That doesn’t mean you get to ignore your alphas though,” Harry told him flatly. “I need to talk to Lou anyway. It’s important.”

Niall frowned, glancing between them before settling on Louis. “If I’m not back in ten minutes, send Harry after me, okay?”

“Uh, I can try? I’m pretty sure he’s developed a talent for ignoring me.”

“Hey!” Harry pouted, almost indignant until Louis spared him a wink.

“Remember, put your foot down,” Niall urged as he slid of the bed, wagging a finger at him. “And you!” he said, turning to Harry. “Try not to be an alpha. He doesn’t need one right now.”

Harry’s mouth was open, but Niall didn’t stop to hear what he had to say on his way out. “What’s gotten into him?” he asked Louis instead, bemused.

“I’m his favorite person, obviously,” Louis responded with a shrug. “He’s looking out for me.”

“Yeah, but so am I. We’re all looking out for you.”

“Niall and I are a team. I’d do the same for him if he needed it,” he asserted, certain of it.

“Did we do something that upset you?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. He just…He understands what I’m going through. I’ve got so much on my mind, and you were all just _watching_ me. It was a lot, and he knew it.”

“Oh,” Harry muttered, eyes filling with a new understanding. “That makes sense. I’m sorry—I knew you were getting tense, but I thought it was the situation, not _us._ I’ll make sure it’s just one or two of us in here at a time from now on.”

Louis smiled, glad to hear that. As much as he wanted everyone here, it was a lot. “Did you really need to talk to me, or were you just trying to get him to go?”

“I do, actually,” the alpha said slowly. He stood up, moving to take a seat on the edge of the bed instead. Louis’ heart rate picked up as Harry took his hand—it was obviously something serious. “Someone from management’s here. In the hospital.”

 _“What?”_ Louis sat up straighter, looking around Harry as if they might appear out of nowhere. “Why?”

“It’s a rep from the label—an alpha,” Harry told him slowly. “They called Liam first, luckily. I don’t know why he’s here, but I can’t leave the room again until he's gone. We’re supposed to be courting, so it’ll look bad if I’m not here.”

“I want you to stay anyway,” he said automatically, squeezing his hand for good measure.

“Good. I want to be here.”

“Do you think…he's not here to talk to me, is he? Because I don’t want to talk to whoever it is. Not now.”

“He might want to talk to you, but I’ve got no intention of letting him in here,” Harry promised. “Liam said he’d tell the guy to back off. He's probably just trying to find out what our plan is, or sucking up so we don’t blast them in the media.”

Louis scoffed. “They don’t even care if I’m okay, do they?”

“Is that a serious question?”

“No,” he muttered with a disgruntled sigh. “I just can’t believe one of them would show up in person. Didn’t Liam say the label had nothing to do with all this? That the label didn’t even know?”

That was their story anyway. According to Liam, only the PR team and general management team had staff members who were aware of the ‘situation’. Louis’ status was need-to-know only, and had been since their X-Factor days. Supposedly their label contracted out management and PR teams for their artists—none of that was done in house. When they’d agreed to sign the band, they’d agreed to keep the same team with them from the show.

At least that was what they’d told Liam during a very heated phone call and follow up meeting on the subject. And that was _after_ Harry had chewed them out first, utilizing _the Harry clause_ to make sure they knew Louis wasn’t bound to the original terms of his contract anymore.

“Liam believed them,” Harry responded slowly, like he wasn’t so sure himself. “He’s going to let us know what’s up after he’s done talking to the rep."

“You don’t think he’ll stay the whole time I’m here, do you?”

He’d arrived that morning when he was just about due for his daily suppressant dose, and gotten hooked up to an IV to help flush the chemicals from his system instead. Thankfully they weren’t addictive, so he wouldn’t be going through withdrawal or anything physically painful. The doctor then gave him that terrifying speech before telling him he’d need to be monitored for at least three days before enduring a series of blood tests to make sure everything was normal.

“Nah. He's probably the kind of person who think he's too important to be here.”

“Even if this could cost them a lot of money?”

Harry arched a brow. “Well, now that you mention it, he might hang around until he gets whatever it is he came for. Liam’ll do what he can to get him to leave though, and if he doesn’t, I’ll give it a go. He may be pack alpha, but you’re my mate—no one will wanna mess with me.”

“We’re not mates, Haz. Not yet.”

“Yes, we are. We’re just not bonded yet. Doesn’t mean I won’t do everything I can to protect you.”

He looked up at the alpha with a surge of fondness. “Will you lay here with me? I’d rather just forget them for now.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed easily, maneuvering his large body down onto the flimsy hospital bed.

His feet hung off the end, which Louis found way too amusing. “You’re huge.”

“’s not my fault.”

“I like it,” Louis admitted, lying down himself. As Harry pulled him into his arms, he knew this was exactly why—they’d always fit together nicely, but _this?_ There was something special about the way Harry practically encompassed him now. “How long were you in the room while I was talking to Niall?”

“Just long enough to hear you freaking out about everything that could go wrong.”

“Oh, good,” he said, prompting a small laugh from Harry. “We were talking about you before that. Didn’t know if you’d heard.”

“Oh? Anything interesting?”

“Yeah, actually. Niall said something, and it made a lot of sense.”

“Okay?”

“I keep thinking I’m supposed to be mad at you still, but it’s ridiculous. I’m _not_ mad anymore, and that’s okay,” he reasoned, frowning a bit. Niall had worded it all so much better. “And really, everything you did wouldn’t have been a big deal if I’d been a beta like I told you I was, so it’s just as much my fault. Right?”

“Uh. Well, I don’t think it’s your fault either way. I would’ve handled things differently though, if I’d known you were an omega—is that what you mean?”

“It is. Do you think…do you think we’d be happy right now if you’d known all along?”

“We’d be bonded by now,” Harry responded with an absolute certainty.

“God, I’m so stupid. Everything could be perfect right now.”

A low rumble from Harry’s chest warned him to stop. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. Things _are_ perfect, Lou—right here, right now. You and me. It’s all still happening.”

Louis bit back his doubts, slowly being won over by the confidence Harry was exuding. “I want to skip the part where I’m mad at you for two months before you court me.”

“We can. I’d be just as happy to start now,” Harry told him softly. “I just want you to be sure it’s what _you_ want. I know Niall means well, but this isn’t about what he thinks. You have every right to be upset with me still. It’s not like we’re in a rush.”

He considered it for a long moment, studying Harry carefully. _Harry._ Had he ever really stood a chance at holding a grudge against this man? Definitely not. Tentatively, he reached out, trailing a hand along the alpha’s jawline. It was so defined now. The baby face was gone, replaced by this cut, _alpha_ perfection.

His eyes were the only thing that remained exactly as he'd remembered, and Louis found himself staring into them intently.

“You promise you won’t leave me again? You’ll talk to me before you let anyone else talk you out of this?”

“No one will _ever_ talk me out of this again. I promise.”

The omega let out a quiet sigh of relief, unaware he’d even been holding it in. If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that Harry never broke his promises—even during their time apart.

“I believe you,” Louis decided, poking at the dimpled smile that appeared on Harry’s face. “I’m so glad these didn’t go away when you presented.”

Harry laughed a little. “Most alphas don’t have dimples.”

“Yeah, but you’re not _most alphas,_ and that’s a good thing because I’m going to be a very strange omega,” he said, choosing his words carefully. He wanted to say he’d be a terrible omega, but he knew Harry wouldn’t let him get away with talking badly about himself again. “That’s the other reason I need Niall right now. He’s the best omega out there. He’s going to help me.”

“Niall’s amazing, but you really have nothing to worry about. Just follow your instincts instead of fighting them.”

“I used to let myself a little when it was just you and me,” he said—back when he was ‘playing omega’. “It’s different now. I’m comfortable around you, but…you’re actually an alpha now, and I’ll actually be an omega.”

“So?”

“So there’s more pressure now.”

“There’s not. I never had any expectations, and I still don’t. It’s not like any of us have it in our heads that you need to act a certain way—we just want you to be comfortable with yourself. There’s literally nothing you could do that would change my mind about wanting you.”

“That’s what Niall said,” he muttered, frowning a bit. “I just want to get it right, that’s all.”

“You will.”

“You say that now. What about when I get out of here and I’m a brat again?” he wondered, because it was inevitable. As much as he’d let Harry indulge him before, he’d always been resistant to certain things—when Harry tried to get him to eat more, or tried to help with his bags. Things most alphas did for their omegas. “You’ll be punishing me six times a day, I bet.”

“You’re getting worked up about nothing. I’d never go overboard like that,” Harry insisted. “You seem to be forgetting that you won’t have all these chemicals in your system. You’re going to feel the full brunt of your instincts—it’ll be a lot easier for you to give in to them.”

“Even though I’m stubborn?”

“Even though you’re stubborn,” he confirmed with the slightest smirk. “I’m sure you’ll still try to do things the same way for a while, out of habit—but that’s okay. We’ll get through it together.”

“You ever feel like this is all reversed? I feel like I should be the youngest in the band,” Louis mused, thinking Harry seemed _much_ older and wiser at this point. How else did he always know the right thing to say?

“I’m not sure being older or younger matters with this stuff.”

“It does. It makes all this even more absurd.”

“It doesn’t. You’re not even _that_ much older than any of us. Plus, weren’t you the one who told me being youngest didn’t matter?”

Louis was surprised by the reminder, but only momentarily. It was true. Back when Harry was just 16 and unpresented, he’d been insecure about being the baby of the band. Time and time again Louis had told him they were all equals, and that it didn’t matter. Maybe him being the oldest didn’t matter either, even if he was struggling.

“You know, I could use a distraction from all this,” Louis said, his hand moving over Harry’s jaw again.

“What kind of distraction?” Harry asked, eyeing him just as carefully.

“Kiss me?”

Harry raised a brow, but didn’t waste another moment before pressing his lips against Louis’ with a soft insistence. It was exactly what he needed right now. There were so many questions and doubts swirling around his mind, but right here, right now…he let it all go, allowing Harry to ease his way into his mouth without hesitation.

It wasn’t actually their first kiss. Over the years, they’d shared more than a few—usually quick, desperate moments when their budding feelings had become too much. They’d smile and laugh after, never really talking about it because it never really mattered. Not when Harry was unpresented and so much was still uncertain between them.

This kiss was different. There was no sense of urgency—no roaming hands, or silent pleas. It was gentle. Slow and steady, with Harry conveying an unmistakable message: this was real. He wasn’t going anywhere, and they didn’t need to rush. Louis found himself melting into it more and more by the second, whimpering at the pleased rumble that tore through Harry.

If Harry wanted him even when he was like this—a beta for all intents and purposes—then he had nothing to worry about.

 

\---

 

“Shh, don’t wake him!” Louis scolded, ready to throw his pillow at Zayn’s head.

They were on day three of his hospital stay, and Harry was the only one who hadn’t come and gone at least once. Louis wasn’t actually _sick,_ so he’d managed to talk the others into going back to his mum’s house to sleep and shower. There was a bathroom attached to his hospital room, but it wasn’t very nice. Just because _he_ had to use it, didn’t mean they all had to.

His mum was always happy to have them over anyway.

Harry though, refused to leave his side. The alpha had barely slept, apparently determined to watch Louis’ monitors and make sure he was okay when no one else was around. He’d finally crashed out on a cot that had been brought to the room when the others had arrived that morning.

“He’s exhausted,” Zayn told him, shaking his head fondly at the young alpha. “It’d take a lot to wake him up right now.”

“You’d be surprised,” Louis mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “I yawned earlier, and he woke right up just to tell me I should get some rest.”

“That’s because it’s you. He’s learning to tune into you still,” the alpha explained, like that made perfect sense. “Wait till you’re bonded. A loudspeaker might not wake him up, but if you so much as _muttered_ an ouch? He’d be on his feet in a heartbeat asking what happened.”

“Isn’t that excessive?”

Zayn shrugged. “Not really. We have needs too, you know. It’s important for us to make sure our omegas are safe.”

It made a bit more sense when Zayn put it like that, but he still wanted to roll his eyes. Something told him that would be something he’d have a hard time adjusting to when the time came.

“How’s mum?” he asked, ready for a subject change.

“She’s good. She wants you to swing by when you get discharged.”

Louis deflated a little. He and Harry had stopped by the night before they’d checked him in to the hospital, just like planned. And actually, she’d taken it very well when Louis came clean about everything—almost _too_ well. She’d always suspected he would be an omega, so apparently it made a lot sense. Yes, she was disappointed, but he was her son. _“I’ll always love you, even when you make mistakes,”_ she’d assured him. She’d even expressed her approval of the Harry situation, claiming she always knew they belonged together.

But then she hadn’t come to see him at all in the hospital.

“It’s pack business,” Zayn said, apparently sensing his mood shift.

Three days of flushing his system had finally started to pay off. Everything about him was faint, according to the alphas, but it was _there._ They could pick up on his emotions when they strong enough, and they could smell him when they were close enough. The doctor said those were all good signs, but it’d be a few weeks before his body was 100% cleaned out. Something about residual chemicals lingering in his system since he’d been on the suppressants for far too long.

“She’s my mum.”

“And your mum respects that this is pack business. She knows we’re taking care of you, and that we’ll bring you to her when the doctor says you’re good to go.”

“I guess,” he sighed.

“I think she feels a bit bad for not figuring it out ages ago,” Zayn admitted, hand on the back of his neck.

“She shouldn’t. None of you should.”

“I caught you scenting Harry’s pillow, Lou. You were in his bunk and I didn’t even bat an eye.”

“Zayn!” he hissed, glancing over at Harry’s sleeping form with wide eyes. He hadn’t told Harry all the pathetic things he’d done during their separation, and he wasn’t planning to anytime soon. Not unless he was asked directly. “We agreed to never talk about that again!”

“No we didn’t.”

“It was an unspoken agreement!” Louis insisted, glaring at him as he just laughed. “And I didn’t scent it. You can’t scent things when you’re on suppressants.”

“You were going through the motions. Everything about it screamed omega, and I didn’t even ask you about it. I was more concerned about why you were on the damn bus.”

“Zayn…I need you to stop. Please. I feel bad enough without everyone constantly reminding me how guilty they feel. This is on _me,_ not you.”

“C’mere,” Zayn said, sitting on the edge of the bed and gesturing for Louis to come to him. The omega did as requested, startled when Zayn pulled him right into his lap. “Trust me?”

“Uh. Yeah,” he replied, confused, but sure—he trusted everyone in his pack.

Zayn hummed in approval before guiding Louis’ nose toward his neck, a clear indication that he wanted the omega to scent him. Suddenly he was grateful that Harry was asleep and no one else was in the room. Heat flooded his cheeks as he buried his face into Zayn’s neck, glad the alpha couldn’t see his face.

Logically, he knew this wasn’t a big deal. Scenting wasn’t something that occurred between strangers, but it wasn’t intimate either. It was very common for unbonded omegas to scent a friend when they were worked up. Usually that friend wasn’t bonded either, but it was okay since they were in a pack together.

He’d _never_ done this though. Every time he’d allowed himself to hug any of the alphas in his pack, he’d always resisted the urge to nuzzle into them further. Even Harry. It was too omega-like, and there was no point since he couldn’t pick up on their smell anyway.

“Oh wow,” he found himself murmuring, almost dizzy from the sensation flooding through him as he took a few deep breaths.

Zayn smelled _wonderful—_ it was a kind of rich, intoxicating smell with an underlying sweet note. If Zayn hadn’t laughed softly at his accidental word slip, he would’ve been happy to keep his nose there all day. It was…unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He hadn’t felt this calm and secure in a long, long time—like he didn’t have to worry about a damn thing so long as he stayed right where he was.

“Really, Zayn?” Louis looked up to find Harry very much awake, watching the two with interest. His tone had been incredulous, but Louis knew Harry well enough to see that he was fighting a smirk—he didn’t actually mind what was happening. “Why do you get to be the first one he scents?”

“He’s just mad I smell better,” Zayn whispered into Louis’ ear, grinning as Harry shot him a genuine glare.

“We’ll let Lou be the judge of that.”

“Uh, I’d rather not, thanks,” Louis promptly decided. He might be new to this whole omega thing, but something told him not to go declaring one alpha in his pack smelled better than the other. Even if he suspected Harry would be his favorite just because. “I have to say, I feel amazing right now.”

“Good,” both alphas said, exchanging a nod.

“I’m gonna get Liam since you’re up now. He wanted to talk to you both,” Zayn added, placing Louis on the bed.

Harry took his place as soon as he was up, pulling Louis onto him just as quickly. “Seriously, Haz?” he laughed, half expecting his nose to be pushed into Harry’s neck as well.

“Mine,” Harry grumbled, nipping at his neck instead.

 _That_ sent a jolt through him, both brows shooting right up.

They’d said a lot of things since Harry found out he was an omega—intended mates, this is happening, we’re not bonded _yet…_ Everything was so heavily laced with implication. That’s all it had been though.

This was the first time Harry had implicitly declared that Louis was _his,_ and frankly Louis really liked hearing it.

“Yours,” he said back, earning himself another quick nip.

He was practically preening in Harry’s lap after that, too happy to be flustered even when Liam entered the room and quirked a brow at the sight.

“You look happier today,” the pack alpha noted, and all he could do was hum in response. “Did you see the doctor this morning?”

“He’s supposed to check in after lunch time,” Harry answered. “If everything looks good, we should be out of here after that.”

“Good. Do you feel ready to leave?” Liam asked, directing the question at Louis.

“Um. I mean, I’m just sitting around here. I don’t see why I shouldn’t leave.”

“You’re here as a precaution. Not everyone comes off suppressants this smoothly,” Harry reminded him, pecking him on the lips before he could pout.

“Well, I don’t see why I should stay if the doctor says it’s fine,” he clarified, glancing at Liam. “Why? Did someone find out we’re here?”

“Not exactly. Remember how someone from the label was here?” he asked, waiting for Harry and Louis to nod before continuing, “Well, he left the hospital, but he didn’t leave town. We’ve got a lot to decide, and not a lot of time to do it.”

“Four days,” Louis said, well aware they had flights booked already. They were off to America for the final leg of their tour. “Is that not enough time?”

“It is, but we really need to finalize our plan before you leave today. One way or another, we need to get your story out there before we hit the road again. Preferably before someone random figures it out. It’d be better to come clean on your own terms rather than being put on the defensive right away.”

“Okay,” he agreed, Harry’s firm hold on him too comforting for him to feel nervous about it. “Should we book an interview or something then?”

“I already did, but we’re not locked in yet—we can do this another way if you want.”

“I mean, I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but I know it needs to be done. It’s fine, whatever you picked.”

“We’ll be there with you the whole time,” Harry promised, giving him a full body squeeze.

“We can do it live, or pre-recorded—either way I can get the questions in advance,” Liam told him.

“Uh. I don’t really know. What do you think?”

“Either way has its pros and cons. If we do it live, it airs as is, which could be good or bad depending on how it goes. If we prerecord, the network will have time to edit and add in commentary as they see fit.”

“I’d rather do it live then,” he decided easily.

“I think that’s best too—it’ll be more authentic. We’ll jump in if they try to throw in any unapproved questions,” Liam assured him with a kind smile. “You’ll get to do a radio follow up the next morning, and I expect we’ll be fielding offers for a magazine cover after that. I didn’t look into that route since we wanted to get this out there immediately.”

“I’m not interested in covering a magazine by myself.”

“This story is about _you_ , Lou. Not the band.”

“We’ll be in the middle of tour by then. I’d rather not.”

“It’s up to you. No one’s going to make you do anything you don’t want,” Liam said, exchanging a look with Harry. “We can talk about that later. If everything goes well, it’ll be unnecessary anyway.”

“You think I might have to, just to set the record straight,” he realized with a groan.

“I don’t know. I’m hoping between tonight’s interview and tomorrow’s follow up, we’ll be all set. You did nothing wrong, and it’ll be obvious since we’re just sticking to the truth. We’ll have all our usual promotional stops on the road anyway, so it’s bound to come up again if we need to clarify anything.”

“Can we backlist questions about this when we're touring? If everything ends up going well at least?”

Liam furrowed his brows. “Of course. This is all up to you, Lou. We’re here to support you, but it’s your decision how you want this to go.”

“What about this?” Louis asked, gesturing between himself and Harry. “Are we announcing this tonight too?”

“If you want to,” Harry responded simply.

“Do _you_ want to?”

Harry nodded without hesitation. “The sooner everyone knows you’re mine, the better. Unless you’re not ready for that yet, which is fine.”

“No, I…I want everyone to know,” Louis insisted, pleased by the very idea of it. Then they’d also know Harry was _his._ “I’m just worried about how it’ll make you look.”

“I honestly could care less what the media has to say about me at this point. As long as you know how serious I am about this, that’s all that matters to me.”

“Your relationship won’t be a major topic of discussion,” Liam told them confidently. “They don’t even know about you two, so it won’t be on the question list. Confirm if you want, but the focus will be on your coming out.”

“What’s the best way to explain all this?”

“You won’t have to give a big speech or anything. You’ll be prompted—we can go over all the questions we’re expecting, and talk about whatever random ones they might toss in,” Liam assured him. “The important thing is to mention at some point that we’re cutting ties with our management team.”

“So we are then? Officially?”

“Yes. That’s the other thing we need to talk about. The label, they’re insisting they had no idea about any of this. There’s no way to really prove it, but I believe them,” Liam said slowly. “The thing is, we’re technically locked in with our old team for two more months. They can't stop us from doing these interviews, but they _can_ make things pretty miserable for us on the road if we're stuck with them. Unless we let the label fire them.”

Louis turned to Harry, not sure what to make of it. “Okay?”

“We’re signed on to record another album with them anyway,” Liam continued. “There’s no getting out of it. We’re their most successful band, and they really don’t want to lose us.”

He looked to Harry again, who looked just as confused. “What’re you getting at, Li?”

“We have a choice here. We can finish out the next two months with our current team before recording the next album—at that point, we won’t even need a new team yet since the tour will be over and we won’t have any promotional requirements. _Or,_ the label can fire our old team now, get us a new one, and let us renegotiate our recording contract.”

“Um. I mean, I’d rather get rid of the old team as soon as we can, but only if you’re sure the label had nothing to do with all this,” Louis said hesitantly.

“I’m fairly sure. They seemed genuinely outraged, but like I said, there’s no way to really know. What I _can_ guarantee is, whatever team we get next I’m going to look into myself. We’re not kids anymore. We can afford to be a lot pickier.”

“Get to the point, Li. What aren’t you saying?” Harry demanded, rubbing Louis’ back when he tensed from the tone.

“If we want to go the renegotiation route with our current label, we’ll be locking ourselves into a two album deal instead of just one. _But,_ they’re willing to give us total creative control over both albums, which we’d never get elsewhere. They really want to keep us, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. It’ll put us in a better place financially as well, but I know that’s not really a top concern.”

Louis stared at Liam almost blankly. Total creative control? So much about the band was still so regulated— _especially_ their sound. It was a bit crazy to think they’d be able to do whatever they wanted.

“Why would they do that?” Harry asked, stealing the question from his mind.

“We’re worth it. Locking us in for two albums instead of one guarantees them more profit, plus they come out looking omega-friendly through all this. It already looks bad on them—the fact that they’d contract out a team that would suppress an omega. If we don’t stand by them, their reputation will be destroyed.”

“They could be lying then. Covering their asses,” Harry said, narrowing his eyes. “Why are you so sure they’re not just telling you what you want to hear?”

“Honestly? Instinct,” Liam admitted with a tiny frown. “I know that’s not enough, so I was hoping you’d meet with him yourselves and let me know what you think. I don’t want to stand by them any more than you do if they’re responsible for any of this.”

“Whoever they sent is probably being honest—they probably had no idea about any of this. That doesn’t mean no one did.”

“It’s not a random rep, Harry. He’s their CEO. There’s no way he wouldn’t have known.”

“They sent their CEO to Doncaster just to talk to us?” Louis asked in disbelief.

“We’re their biggest account. There’s a lot at stake for them.”

“Well, what about Niall and Zayn? This is a band decision.”

Liam just shook his head. “I already talked this over with them, and they both agree. It’s entirely up to you guys. We’d be just as happy to record a crap album before signing on with a new label. I’m sure we can get a great deal from anyone at this point.”

“I guess it can’t hurt to hear what he has to say,” Louis agreed, but only after Harry gave him an encouraging nod.

“I’ll call him then, and hopefully set something up for this afternoon. Then I’ll finalize the interview schedule for tonight. Let me know what the doctor says?”

“Sure,” Harry agreed for the both of them.

“Want me to send Niall or Zayn in? I can get them a copy of the questions for tonight.”

Louis considered it for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. “Not yet. I need to talk to Harry for a bit.”

Because he had a lot to think about now—apparently the band’s entire future was riding on _his_ decision.

Except it wasn’t just his decision. Maybe it was the suppressants leaving his system, but he was finally beginning to understand. He didn’t need to carry all this weight around on his own anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I mentioned at the top that this will be a two part fic (at least). The thing is, I have two separate plans for how this will proceed. Both are plots that I am really interested in writing, so I figured it'd be better to just let you all choose since it's one or the other?
> 
> (1) The Larry route. Probably the more obvious road to go, and the one I'm already leaning toward. This would basically include...angst as they adjust to their new relationship in the public eye, mixed with some fluff and smut. All leading up to them bonding. There'd still be some fun times with the rest of the pack!
> 
> (2) The OT5 route. This would include...the pack growing closer and closer before Louis starts to realize Harry isn't the only alpha he wants, and that Niall is good for Harry in a lot of the ways he can't be (even though Harry's still crazy about Louis, obviously). This would also include Louis and Niall being an epic team, plotting to make it happen.
> 
> Let me know what you think, if you have an opinion? Or if you have any other thoughts/concerns/etc! Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed this part ~
> 
> (EDIT) - The response is super heavily leaning toward Larry, so that's what I'm going to stick with! If I ever have time to write the other route, I'll definitely do that, but yeah. It would be a separate fic, and I'm going to prioritize finishing the Larry route/my other projects first. Thanks so much for all the feedback!


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